Living Legends
by Magpie Corvidae
Summary: Mass Effect. Two centuries after the Reaper War, Liara and Shepard live a reclusive life far from civilisation. To the rest of the galaxy the reapers have become little more than a legend, but for those who lived through the war Shepard is still a hero and when the asari decide to reclaim Thessia, she finds herself drawn back into galactic politics.
1. Uninvited Callers

_Chapter One – Uninvited Callers_

The lights flickered across the crew deck of the Normandy SR2, briefly illuminating the disordered mess area; in fact, 'mess' had likely never been a more appropriate word.

Empty crates lay discarded in untidy stacks, furniture was overturned or positioned at odd angles and many of the wall panels had been removed so that excess wiring could be stripped out and used in more vital systems. Wires and circuits hung down from the ceiling and the metal doors from the elevator had been ripped out and now lay across a missing section of deck plating.

In the middle of the room, on the table they were using as a bed, Juliet Shepard and Liara T'Soni lay entangled together beneath a long leather coat that was serving as a blanket. Amidst the loud hum of the computers and the unhealthy judder of the engines, a soft alarm began to beep, drawing Juliet groggily from her sleep.

At first she decided to ignore it, if she lay there long enough it would probably go away. The hard metal of the table wasn't exactly comfortable but she knew that moving from it would bring nothing but pain and was best avoided for as long as possible.

But the beeping continued, growing steadily more and more persistent until Liara began to stir as well.

"Mhm… Jules?" the asari mumbled, shifting her head against Juliet's chest where she was lying, "Someone's calling the comm room."

"Ignore them," Jules slurred groggily, her throat dry from the cold air of the ship "they'll go away."

As the beeping continued, Jules felt a hand sliding down from her shoulder, across her collarbone, over her breast – where it lingered briefly – and down to her ribs before Liara gently propped herself up on her elbow and gazed down at her through bleary blue eyes.

"They're not going away."

"Give it five more minutes," Jules turned over – instantly wincing as her back muscles screamed in protest – and dragged Liara back down, nuzzling their noses together as she slipped back towards sleep. Even though she kept her eyes closed she could feel Liara smile.

"It might be important."

"It won't be."

"Someone might owe us money."

"No one owes us money."

"They might be offering us work, or trade."

"They can come back later."

"You do know our rations are running low?"

"We've got enough to last the week."

"What if the galaxy needs saving?"

"Someone else can handle it, I'm retired."

" _Jules!"_

She opened one eye to see two glittering sapphires glaring at her, and conceded with a sigh, "Fine. But if it's another salvager offering to buy the Normandy for scrap metal I'm going to kill them. You know the last one only offered a hundred credits? As if my girl isn't worth more than- OW!" her back twinged painfully as she hauled herself upright and she fell off the table and onto her knees before managing to stagger inelegantly to her feet, "Fucking, shitting _, fucking_ hell! We _really_ need to clear one of the beds!"

"Considering how old the mattresses are I can't guarantee it would be any more comfortable… are you alright?"

"Oh yeah," Jules muttered as she hobbled towards the elevator, "never better."

"Jules."

"Yeah?" she turned and instinctively grabbed the bundle of fabric that came flying at her.

"Clothes."

She frowned down at the crumpled garments Liara had thrown to her and then at her own bare skin, as though surprised to realise she wasn't wearing anything, "Oh yeah, good thinking."

"And your hair's a mess!"

"Thank you!"

She half-staggered to the elevator shaft, hopping as she pulled on her worn old jeans, then her tank top and shirt. She paused briefly to wonder where her leather coat was before she remembered Liara was still lying under it.

After a century on the outer rim, they had found themselves needing to ration the Normandy's power consumption just to keep the old girl flying and so the heating was permanently turned down to barely habitable levels but Jules decided to ignore the cold as she reached into the elevator shaft, grasped the rungs of the service ladder (at least the ones that were still attached) and began climbing down.

She couldn't even remember when the elevator had stopped working; probably when they had stripped it out and melted it down to complete that trade deal with those vorcha mercs, she suddenly remembered. How long ago had that been? Forty years? Fifty? Did it even matter anymore?

She hopped off the ladder at the CIC – which was in almost complete darkness – and made her way to the comms room, ignoring the galaxy map and the old, stripped out consoles where Alliance crewmembers had once stood. She had come to hate the CIC; the big, empty room was just another reminder of how alive the ship had once been, before there was only her and Liara to fill the silence.

She passed through what had once been the war room – and was now nothing more than dead screens and stacked boxes – and entered the dim red glow of the comm room where an amber light was flashing in time with the beeps that were echoing throughout the ship.

She ran her fingers hastily through her knotted hair – and briefly tried to remember when the last time was she'd washed it – before activating the controls.

"This is the Normandy SR2, yes the actual one. No she is not for sale, we have nothing on board worth stealing and we're not hiring so whoever you are you can probably crawl back to whatever hole you came from and leave us in peace."

There was a pause. A long pause. Then the aging comms unit finally managed to produce a flickering holo image of the caller and an elegant, hard-browed asari came into view, a sly smile spread across her lips.

"Now, now. Is that any way to greet an old friend?"

Jules squinted suspiciously at the face and folded her arms, "Aria."

"Nice to see you again, Shepard," the self-proclaimed queen of Omega drawled softly, her voice as gentle as it was cold. She was lounging back against a white leather sofa, both arms spread out across its back and, glancing behind her, Jules could see holographic movement that looked familiarly like asari dancers.

"Are you calling from Omega?"

"Couldn't you tell when you answered?"

Jules looked down at the half-dead comms interface and rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly as she tried to remember when that particular function had stopped working, "We're… not exactly state-of-the-art these days."

"Two hundred years without maintenance will do that to a ship," Aria smirked lazily, "speaking of which, you're looking remarkably good for a human your age, I'd say you haven't aged a day since the war; what's your secret?"

"High-tech Cerberus implants," Jules replied bluntly, "you should try it, might give you a few more millennia to play queen."

"Mm, shame Cerberus died with the reapers, isn't it?"

"Oh yeah, real pity that. What do you want Aria?"

Even through the sketchy holo image, Jules saw Aria's lilac blue eyes dazzle curiously, "Straight to business?"

"I grew tired of pleasantries about a century ago."

"Fascinating, gaining a longer lifespan has actually made you more impatient. It wasn't a trait I ever associated with you before."

"Were you expecting me to have gained an asari-like view of the galaxy?"

"After two hundred years?" she laughed loudly, "I hate to break it to you, Shepard, but you're still a baby."

Despite not wanting to, despite having no idea why she was doing it, Jules found herself smiling, albeit begrudgingly, "You don't seem to have changed."

"Have I had any need to?"

The answer to that was easy. Of every world, settlement, colony and space station that had survived the reaper war, Omega had probably come out of it the best. While Earth had been struggling to rebuild and isolated colonies were starving to death for lack of supplies, Omega had been thriving. Even when the galaxy had started getting back on its feet there had been little in the way of enforceable laws and Aria's influence had soon spread across the terminus. Jules hadn't really been keeping up with intergalactic politics over the past few decades but she could imagine that whatever Aria was calling her for, it wouldn't be good.

"What _do_ you want?"

Aria hesitated, her legs briefly coming into view as she shifted lazily on the sofa and crossed them over each other, "I'm calling in a favour."

"I wasn't aware I owed you one."

"After all that's gone on between us, Shepard, I think it's a safe bet that we both owe each other something."

"What kind of something?" Jules was suspicious, in the past when people had asked favours of her they had rarely been small and never simple.

Aria didn't answer at once, she had acquired a glass of wine from somewhere and was gazing into its contents thoughtfully before she spoke, "The galaxy's been quiet since you became a recluse. There are plenty of reasons I can think of why we need you back."

"Yeah, get to the one you're actually calling me about."

Her lilac eyes narrowed as she looked up and Jules couldn't tell if it was through amusement or irritation but after a moment she answered bluntly enough, "The asari are going to attempt to reclaim Thessia."

Jules raised an eyebrow, "Finally? Congratulations," her tone was dry. Thessia was the last home world not to have been reclaimed since the war, while everyone else had been busy rebuilding and restoring, the asari had still been trying to organise themselves into a coherent group. As far as Jules was aware, that had never happened.

The assault on Thessia had been one of the swiftest and most brutal of the entire war, almost all of their matriarchs had died and their population had been cut in half, leaving them with little in the way of leadership and no political power. Asari superiority had become a thing of the past and now they were mostly scattered and made their lives on other species' worlds or colonies. After all, the lines between who owned what and who belonged where had gotten very blurred in the war's aftermath.

"Finally?" Aria questioned sharply, "Wait until you've lived a few more centuries and see if you still think we've been dragging our feet."

"We?" Jules raised an eyebrow, "I don't remember you having any particular loyalty to Thessia or the asari government."

"Not loyalty, exactly," she admitted, glancing behind her towards the asari dancers in an attempt to appear nonchalant again, "but back before the war we did have certain… arrangements. We get a lot of traffic through Omega, a lot of… rumours get heard."

"You fed them information and they kept any authorities that might come knocking off your back," Jules folded her arms, she had always suspected as much, she remembered Tevos had practically bent over backwards to accommodate Aria on the Citadel and Aria couldn't have been paying them off with credits, they'd had enough money of their own back then.

"Such measures weren't really necessary after the war but now… let's just say the delightful Human Turian Alliance that you helped found is becoming… an increasing annoyance."

Jules didn't hide her smile. People had laughed at the very idea of the HTA in the aftermath of the war, humans and turians coming together in a true alliance? Impossible! But the HTA had formed the solid foundation for life after the war, a peacekeeping force tasked with rebuilding the galaxy. And their influence had only grown.

"Cracking down on laws are they?"

Aria scowled, "They seem to think they have a right to several star systems I've been operating in these past two centuries."

"Well they would, wouldn't they? What with them being the legitimate organisation."

"And in a galaxy torn apart by reapers, who decides what legitimate means anymore?"

"As I recall, _I_ did," Jules was losing patience, after too many minutes of talk she had yet to learn what Aria was actually asking, "what are you hoping for? That I'll put the asari back in power and give you your safety net back?"

"Do I look that naïve? I just want you on the mission, Shepard. Tevos has finally managed to put together a large enough team who can fund the trip without the HTA's help, they were looking for you but didn't know how to contact you. I do."

Jules watched her carefully, "What are you up to?"

She smirked softly, "Nothing sinister. The asari want your help and – judging by the state you're in – it might do you some good to get out of that piece of junk you call a ship."

"Hey, I happen to like the Normandy, and I don't need lifestyle advice from you."

"No?" she queried innocently, "Shepard, with those implants of yours you could easily live as long as that pureblood slut you're shacked up with, are you really going to spend all that time moping on the outer reaches of space?"

"Moping?" Jules felt her temper flare, this had been anything but a straightforward conversation and by now she had no patience for games, "Listen Aria, I did my service to the galaxy, I defeated the reapers, I saved all sentient life and I don't remember anyone rushing to thank me for it! Instead all I got was blame for the mass relays and all the tech that had been damaged, not to mention the quarians who wanted me locked up for killing the geth! But I still carried on. I rebuilt Earth, I founded the HTA, I kept peace when all anyone wanted to do was fight and argue and still I didn't get much in the way of gratitude!"

"I think you're giving yourself too much credit," Aria retorted sharply, "you're talking as though you were the only one involved in rebuilding the galaxy when there were plenty of others who stuck it out without running away. Only children need the recognition of others, Shepard; perhaps it's time you grew up."

Jules shook her head, "I don't really care what you think of me or my life, I just want to be left alone. So no, I won't join Tevos' mission, despite how nicely you asked. Don't contact me again unless it's actually important. Oh, and one more thing: if you ever insult Liara within my hearing again, I'll rip those pretty scalp-crests off your head and force them down your throat until you choke, are we clear?"

Aria sucked her teeth as her eyes narrowed slowly, "As crystal."

"Good."

Jules severed the link with a thump of her fist and stood seething for a moment. She generally avoided thinking about the war, its aftermath or the state of the galaxy. She generally just avoided thinking, it always seemed to prompt a bubbling fury to rise inside her. The stupid thing was, she didn't even know what she was angry about.

" _I_ thanked you."

She jumped and spun on the spot at Liara's voice. The asari was standing behind her, now fully dressed and carrying Jules' leather coat over one arm. A soft, calm smile was gracing her lips and Jules blinked.

"What?"

"After the war," she elaborated, "I thanked you, for stopping the reapers. All the crew did."

Jules found herself frowning as she nodded slightly dumbly, mostly because she was trying to remember if there was anything in that conversation she hadn't wanted Liara to hear, "I know you did."

"Well then," her smile broadened a little, "aren't we the only ones who matter?"

Liara held out Jules' coat and Jules took it from her, still frowning oddly, "how… much of that did you hear?"

"Enough," her voice gave little away as she turned and started heading back to the CIC, Jules followed, "I imagine Tevos has been planning something like this since the war, I wondered when it would come to fruition."

Jules didn't comment. Even after living for two hundred years herself, it was still hard for her to get her head around the length of asari planning. For other races whole generations could pass before the asari even got off the drawing board.

"Do you want to go with them? Aria said they're looking for me but I'm sure they're after your help as well."

Liara turned to cast her a mysterious smile as they re-entered the shadowy CIC, "I'd rather stay here."

"You'd rather stay _here_?" Jules snorted, "Sleeping on a table and freezing to death? How's that better than reclaiming your home world?"

She stopped and turned, "Well, _you're_ here."

"That's it? You're not staying just because of me are you? Because if this is some kind of emotional blackmail-"

"You've made your decision Jules," Liara cut in, her voice brooking no argument, "and I've made mine. I'm sure we can both respect that."

Jules opened her mouth to reply but was cut off as the ship suddenly lurched sideways and both she and Liara stumbled against the wall.

"What was that?" Liara asked, "Did something hit us?"

"Or docked with us," Jules said as a loud screech echoed from the airlock, "we're being boarded."

* * *

 _ **So, I was playing around with a few ideas for how the galaxy might turn out after the war and... this happened. Enjoy!** _


	2. Unexpected Guests

_Chapter Two – Unexpected Guests_

Liara jogged ahead of Jules along the walkway to the cockpit; she could hear the intruders wrestling the aged airlock doors open from the other side as she passed but ignored it, instead reaching the pilot's console and jabbing a few of the controls.

"Why didn't the external sensors warn us there was a ship in the area?"

"Erm…" she shot a look behind her to see Jules grimacing slightly, "I stripped them out a week ago to replace the life support circuits. Sorry. Thought I'd told you."

Liara sighed and narrowly avoided rolling her eyes, chastising Jules now wasn't going to help fend off the imminent invaders.

"Do we have any weapons on board?" the answer was probably no, whenever they did manage to get their hands on any firearms they usually ended up having to trade them for food. There had come a point when staving off immediate hunger was more important than guarding against possible future attacks.

Jules just shrugged carelessly, "Do we need them?" she lit up instantly with biotics, blue-white energy rippling across her skin and illuminating her eerily in the din.

Liara frowned and nodded, "Alright. It's too cramped in here for a fight, we'll jump them in the CIC."

They sprinted back down the walkway, past the doors which had now opened just a crack, and positioned themselves on either side of the room. The Normandy's power shortage became a brief advantage as the shadows concealed them from view and they both crouched silently in the dark.

The screech of metal echoed eerily through the empty ship before there was a loud _clunk_ and a cry.

"AH! Shit!" someone shouted, "These doors are ancient! I'll bet a decent shockwave would have blown them open a lot easier."

"This isn't our ship, Egret," another voice replied calmly, "it's probably best we try not to break anything."

"Have you seen the state of this place? What damage could we possibly do that anyone would notice?"

The voices were asari, Liara was certain of it, which meant her and Jules' biotics might not give them as much of an advantage as she'd hoped. From the footsteps she could hear clambering through the airlock there was more than just two of them. A dozen? Maybe more.

A torch light clicked on and flashed around the dim walkway, bleeding out into the CIC so that Liara had to press herself back against the wall to avoid being illuminated in the yellow beam. She cast a glance towards Jules' silhouette across from her and imagined that they exchanged a nod, though in the shadows it was hard to tell.

"Where is everyone?" the one called Egret spoke again, a trace of reluctance in her tone as she lowered her voice to a whisper, "Are we sure they're on board? The ship looks derelict."

"We picked up two life signs," someone answered her, "one human and one asari. They're here somewhere."

The footsteps began to move closer, echoing softly on the metal walkway and Liara saw Jules ready herself silently. Staying hidden would be a lot harder once their biotics lit up the room so the first attack had to count. The footsteps stopped for moment as two silhouettes emerged and paused to peer around the CIC.

Liara held her breath and waited.

The slightest movement from Jules was her cue and in a split second she channelled her power and launched a singularity in between the two intruders. It apparently caught them completely off-guard as there were two loud yells followed by several curses as they struggled to free themselves from the singularity's pull but before they could try to recover, Jules was on her feet and sent a shockwave smashing into the pair, propelling them backwards into the group of asari who had boarded the ship behind them.

"Anyone for a game of skittles?" Jules said cheerily as she sent another, smaller attack to knock a few others off their feet. She wasn't fighting to kill, Liara noticed, and she was sure the asari could have resisted, or at least put up a fight if they wanted to, but for some reason they seemed reluctant.

"Wait! Commander!" one of them held up a hand as she struggled up from the floor, "We're not enemies!"

"Why don't you tell me what the hell you're doing on my ship?" Jules shouted as she advanced, her fists glowing with biotic energy. Liara grimaced slightly at the sight of her, there was once a time when Jules had been the negotiating type.

"Shepard?" a new voice stopped Jules in her tracks, it wasn't asari, it was too deep, too… krogan, Liara realised as she saw a huge, bulking silhouette appear through the airlock door. Ice blue eyes flashed through the shadows as he looked down at the fallen asari who were all mumbling and groaning as they stumbled over each other in their attempts to stand. Liara heard a deep, throaty chuckle.

"I see you haven't lost your touch then, battlemaster."

The biotic glow instantly faded from Jules' hands as she frowned and squinted through the dark, "Grunt? What are you doing here?"

He answered only with another slow chuckle as he picked his way across the carpet of flailing limbs, largely ignoring their asari owners until he got to Egret who was muttering curses as she massaged one of her elbows. Grunt paused as he reached her and bent down to gently take hold of her by both shoulders before physically picking her up and placing her back on her feet.

"You okay?" he asked in a low tone, his deep voice grating softly.

Egret nodded as she gingerly tested her joints, then cast Jules a quirky smile, "You weren't exaggerating about her were you? She packs quite a punch."

Jules either didn't register the complement – as that was doubtless how she would have interpreted it – or chose to ignore it as she continued to stare questioningly at Grunt. Liara could understand her bewilderment, the adolescent krogan was still incredibly young by their standards and barely seemed to have changed at all in the century or so since they had last seen him; the same pale, smooth skin, the same piercing blue eyes. To Jules, it must have been like time had taken a step backwards.

"Grunt," she muttered after a moment, "it's good to see you everything but… what the hell are you doing on board my ship? And why did you bring a bunch of asari with you?"

He cast a glance back to his recovering companions before turning back to her with a shrug, "they're my crew," and as the confusion on Jules' face deepened, Grunt's split into a wide grin, "I'm a commander now."

…

They took their new guests down to the crew deck where they kept the heating at a slightly higher temperature and at least some of the lights still worked. Upon seeing the state it was in however, Grunt frowned critically.

"Shit. What happened to this place?"

"We redecorated," Jules told him dryly as she picked up a few of the overturned chairs and placed them round the table she and Liara had slept on; when it became clear they didn't have enough to accommodate everyone she kicked a few crates into place as well.

"Is it true you stole her from the Reaper War Museum?" Egret asked as she glanced around the deck in awe, even though it was obviously just a few systems failures away from being a complete wreck.

The girl had recovered quickly from Jules' attack and seemed completely unfazed by the whole situation. There was an innocent kind of enthusiasm about her, Liara noted, and she did look very young, probably born well after the war.

"Stole her?" Jules spun round to stare at Egret indignantly, "How could I steal my own ship?"

"I was led to believe the Normandy belonged to the Alliance," said the asari who had called out to Jules on the CIC, and had since been introduced as Adarna. She would definitely have been alive during the war, by Liara's guess the woman was nearing her matriarch years and there was a stateliness about her that reminded her briefly of Benezia.

"The Alliance died with the reapers," Jules relied bluntly, "more or less. And whoever thought it was a good idea to mark the centenary of the Reaper War by opening a museum with my girl as the centrepiece was an idiot. I told them I wouldn't agree to it and they went ahead anyway so yes, I took back what was mine."

"And then you flew away to the stars," Egret smiled mysteriously and Liara somehow got the impression she was quoting something, "never to be seen again, at least not by many. You've become a myth, Shepard, a fairy tale told to children. Some people don't believe you exist at all."

"Good," Jules retorted, dramatically throwing down the last crate and gesturing for their guests to sit.

Grunt had brought around twelve asari with him, they didn't seem to be wearing any particular uniform though most were clad in light leather armour, much like the kind asari commandoes had used to wear – back when there had still been asari commandoes.

They didn't all sit round the table, instead Egret took a small group of the most injured over to the corner and began treating the few cuts and grazes they had sustained. Jules meanwhile was rummaging in one of the many open boxes that were scattered around the room.

"Come on I know you're in here somewhere… Aha!" she triumphantly pulled out a dusty old bottle that Liara recognised as an unknown krogan drink they had never quite plucked up the courage to try. As she recalled they had liberated from some pirates who had attacked the Normandy. That must have been decades ago, it had been a long time since the Normandy could stand up in a fight.

"There you go Grunt," she tossed the bottle to him – which he caught skilfully – and then wandered over to join them, slumping down in the seat opposite Liara and kicking her feet up on the table, "So," she began as Grunt eyed the bottle critically, "is 'commander' your actual title now?"

He ripped the bottle top off with his teeth and shrugged, "If you like. We're not really a military organisation though, not big on titles. Still, I'm in charge of the squad."

"A squad of asari," Jules agreed, looking around at the rest of their company.

Liara noticed that most of the asari actually seemed more interested in _her_ than they were Jules, particularly the younger ones who were unashamedly staring at her without even trying to be discreet about it. She wondered briefly if she'd become something of a hero to her people over the years she had been gone.

The thought made her uncomfortable and she decided to look down at her hands and pretend she couldn't feel all the eyes on her.

"So, is Wrex training asari now?" Jules was asking, "Or are you working for someone else?" she stopped at that thought and narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "Did Aria send you?"

"Aria?" Grunt, who had been halfway through a swig of the krogan beverage now choked and slammed the bottle down, startling the two asari sitting either side of him, "No! You think I'd work for _her_? Tevos sent me."

From the look on Jules' face she didn't consider that to be much better, "Tevos? For her mission to reclaim Thessia I take it?"

"You know about that?"

"Word gets around," she agreed dryly, "and I've already given my answer once today, about two minutes before you forced my airlock open. Remarkable coincidence don't you think?"

Grunt blinked as a strange silence fell. If he knew what Jules was talking about then he didn't seem to show it though Liara noticed a few looks being exchanged amongst the asari. Jules spotted it too and seemed to think carefully before she spoke again.

"Why does Tevos want my help, exactly?"

"Not just yours," it was Adarna who answered, the older asari was smiling calmly, her voice soft and musical, "we also hope to gain the support of your companion, Liara remains well respected among the asari and we would value her experience."

Liara couldn't ignore the eyes on her now and was forced to look up to meet Adarna's gaze, she noticed the younger ones in particular were smiling eagerly as they awaited her answer.

"I'm honoured you think so," she replied after a moment, "but I'm afraid I don't really concern myself with galactic politics anymore, I'm sure you understand."

Adarna's face fell slightly, that clearly hadn't been the response she was expecting but she had enough grace not to show it too openly as Jules continued speaking.

"But _why_ does she want us? What possible help could we be to her?"

Grunt, now having finished the bottle, tossed it over one shoulder and shrugged casually, "People have been trying to get you back ever since you disappeared, Shepard."

"Every few years or so some cause comes up with claims that you've put your name behind it," Adarna agreed, "there's always a rush of excitement before everyone realises it's just another lie to try and gain support."

"Publicity," Liara realised slowly, briefly locking eyes with Jules before looking at Adarna, "tell me, are the majority of the asari people in favour of Tevos' plan?" Adarna shifted a little in her chair but didn't reply as Liara continued, "Or are they content enough with the lives they have built since the war's end? I hear Earth has the highest asari population in the galaxy these days, it's supposed to be quite beautiful, almost no sign there was a war there at all. And there are plenty of other asari who have made their homes on thriving colonies. Why turn their backs on all of that in favour of a deserted, war torn planet that will be barely capable of supporting them? But if Shepard and Liara, the famous heroes of the Reaper War, rally the cause it might just generate a little more enthusiasm. Am I right?"

Adarna pursed her lips thoughtfully, "The situation isn't quite as simple as you paint it, but you're not entirely wrong," a small smile formed now, "I see your grasp of politics is as good as the stories suggest… Shadow Broker."

Liara returned the smile coldly, "The Shadow Broker-"

"Died with the reapers," Adarna supplied for her, "as so many things did."

"So," Jules cut in, looking directly at Grunt, "you came all the way out here and forced your way onto my ship just so you could drag me back to civilisation and stick my face on some poster for the asari? Really Grunt? What made you think I'd agree? Did you think I'd just follow you for old time's sake, because we used to be squad mates? How many times do I have to say it before people get the message? I am not _interested_ in whatever political messes the galaxy is getting itself into!"

As far as Liara was aware, the krogan didn't roll their eyes, but the gesture Grunt made in response seemed to be something comparable, "Oh c'mon, Shepard. It's not like you wouldn't be getting anything out of it yourself. A warm bed for starters," he looked around the stripped out room disdainfully and then cast Jules an equally critical glance, "and a shower."

Jules' eyebrows shot up and Liara barely supressed a chuckle. Having a krogan question your hygiene was like having a vorcha question your manners, but Grunt wasn't wrong.

When Liara remembered the fearsome figure of Commander Shepard that had led them to victory against the reapers she suddenly realised what a pale imitation Jules had become of her former self. Her once flaming locks of red-gold hair looked closer to brown these days and hung pitifully in dry, straw-like strands about her shoulders, remaining almost permanently matted and tangled. Her once smooth, ivory skin was paler than ever and marked with broken veins and dry rashes brought on by the cold air of the Normandy and her muscles were slowly wasting away with her flat, lean stomach being more down to malnutrition than fitness.

But despite all that, her turquoise eyes still gleamed brightly, the only outward sign that Jules was still in there somewhere. The _real_ Jules, the one who would jump at the chance to help any species rebuild.

"Why are you doing this anyway?" Jules asked Grunt sulkily, "Don't tell me Wrex has a stake in this? He is still running Tuchanka isn't he?"

"Course," Grunt shrugged, "but I left Tuchanka five years ago."

"To work for Tevos?"

"To be with my bondmate," he cast a glance over his shoulder towards Egret, something the young asari seemed to sense immediately as she looked up and gave him a smile in return. Jules watched the exchange with a somewhat surprised frown.

"You're- she's- …wow, really?" apparently briefly lost for words, Jules took a moment to clear her throat, "that's… well, er… congratulations?"

"Not what you were expecting, Shepard?" Grunt chuckled softly.

"To be honest I'm more surprised about you leaving Tuchanka, how did Wrex react?"

"He took some convincing," Grunt admitted, "but he came around in the end. What about you, Shepard?"

"What about me?"

"Will you help? Tevos seems pretty keen to get you involved in the mission."

"Why should I care what Tevos wants?" Jules asked bluntly, her demeanour suddenly shifting as she sneered in a manner that didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the group, "I remember being pretty keen to get her involved in the war effort. But the defence of Earth and Palaven wasn't important enough to her, it wasn't until the reapers started knocking on Thessia's door that she realised it might be a good idea to have allies. Only it was a bit fucking late by then wasn't it? If she had stepped up sooner then Thessia might not have fallen at all and we wouldn't even be having this conversation!"

"And what will it take to gain your cooperation?" Adarna asked calmly, prompting Jules to look daggers at her though the asari appeared unfazed, "Are you also going to wait until it is too late? Until the galaxy no longer wants you and your ship cannot sustain you."

Jules stood, slamming both hands down on the table and silencing the low voices of Egret and the other asari in the corner as all eyes turned on her, "I swear if _one_ more person questions my life aboard the Normandy…" she didn't complete the threat, instead trailing off as she glanced around at the numerous asari who were all watching her closely. Eventually she sighed and let her head hang in resignation.

"Fine. Since it's you, Grunt, I'll do you the courtesy of not kicking you off my ship. I will think about it. But the next answer I give you is final."

…

The meeting dispersed and Jules stood and wandered to the edge of the room, using it as a vantage point to get a good look at the asari who seemed to have successfully invaded her ship.

They were separated out into several small groups, whispering and gossiping and frequently throwing glances at both her and Liara. Liara was over the other side of the room and seemed to have been accosted by Adarna, who was talking to her quietly while keeping her hands clasped neatly behind her back.

Jules guessed their numbers were fairly evenly split between those who were old enough to remember the war and those who were born after or not long before it and the more she watched them, the more she realised how easy it was to distinguish between the two.

The asari of old had carried themselves with a kind of dignity and grace that she saw in Adarna, breezing elegantly into a room and speaking with the confidence of someone who was always in their element. Now Jules realised how much of that had come from the knowledge that they were the most powerful race in the galaxy.

Back then the asari had controlled the wealth and the power, they had been the peacekeepers, the political masterminds, the oldest and the wisest race in the galaxy and the ones who everyone had wanted to be.

People like Adarna remembered those days as though they were still happening, after all, two hundred years wasn't such a long time for someone who would live for a millennia. But for the other races whole generations had passed and there was no one left who saw the asari as superior. Instead they saw them as drifters, scavengers and refugees with no home of their own.

That was what the younger ones had grown up believing and it showed in the way they held themselves; there was no proud superiority, instead they were brash and careless as they chatted and laughed with one another and Jules recognised many human mannerisms among them, they were playfully teasing and shoving each other in a way she had never seen asari do before.

This added weight to what Liara had said about the asari population on Earth, it seemed human and asari culture had become mingled through the centuries, likely to the point where they were indistinguishable to anyone who hadn't lived before the war.

Jules was also aware that many of them probably had human fathers. That had become a lot more common after the war.

In Jules' day, humanity hadn't been around long enough for there to be many human-fathered asari and those that there were hadn't even reached adolescence yet. But now there seemed to be a whole new generation of asari who had grown up with human influence in their lives. She had to wonder what impact that was having on the asari as a whole.

"Commander Shepard?" she looked up to see that Egret had approached her, smiling a little hesitantly as she did so. Jules regarded her for a moment and then sighed.

"I haven't carried that rank since the Alliance was disbanded. Call me Jules."

Egret smiled more confidently but didn't actually say anything. Despite opening her mouth several times as though to start a conversation, each time she frowned and faltered and instead became remarkably interested in her shoes.

Entertaining as it was, Jules eventually took pity on her.

"So, you're the one who melted Grunt's heart enough to drag him away from Tuchanka. Well done."

"He told you?" Egret's eyes lit up as she looked at her. Purple eyes, Jules noticed, remarkably dark in colour for an asari but glimmering in that alien way only they had. Her skin was also a particularly vibrant shade of blue and carried almost no markings aside from several small, sweeping white lines above her eyes like eyebrows.

"How did you meet?" Jules asked casually, painfully aware of how long it had been since she had needed to make polite conversation with anyone. She wondered if it was obvious how out-of-practice she was.

"Oh," Egret blushed a little and looked down again, "I was on Tuchanka trying to raise funds for the expedition."

"You went to the krogan?"

"We went to everyone, we've been gathering financial support for nearly twenty-five years. It took us a while to get around to approaching Urdnot Wrex but as it turned out he was willing to support us."

"Wrex gave Tevos funding?" Jules didn't know if she should be surprised, by all accounts the krogan were doing very well for themselves, why shouldn't Wrex donate his money about a bit? If nothing else it would help expand the krogan's influence. And, of course, Bakara usually had a hand in most of Wrex's decisions, Jules remembered with a smile.

"Wrex was trying to train Grunt in politics, think he saw him as a kind of protégé. He had Grunt sit in on the negotiations but he couldn't have cared less, neither could I really. Adarna was doing all the talking for our side so me and Grunt just sort of slipped out. He spent the rest of the day showing me around the city."

"What's Tuchanka like these days?" Jules asked, she remembered it as little more than rubble and wasteland before the war. Rebuilding had been going well the last time she had been there but that had been over a century ago.

"Beautiful," Egret replied, "their cities are incredible, more like giant temples really. They build them completely from stone rather than using metal or glass and the _artwork_ … it's breathtaking."

Jules smiled at the awe those memories seemed to elicit from Egret, times really must have changed if the art of the krogan was being held in such high esteem by the asari.

"I… remember Grunt saying how he wished you could see it," the tentative note was back in Egret's voice and Jules knew the girl was looking at her hesitantly. She decided not to meet her gaze, "he talks about you all the time you know."

"About me? Why?"

"You can't not know the impact you had on his life. You were his mentor, his… battlemaster," she said it with a laugh but Jules heard the sincerity behind it, "he really looks up to you, more than he'd ever admit. So do I."

"You've only just met me."

She laughed, "That's not how it feels. I've seen you through his eyes so many times before."

Jules did look at her now, thoughtfully. She wondered what else Egret had seen through her melds with Grunt, the Normandy when she was still new? All the crewmembers who weren't alive to see how the galaxy had rebuilt?

"You will come with us, won't you?" Egret's dark eyes dazzled softly with hope and Jules sighed.

"I don't know yet," she placed a hand briefly on the girl's shoulder and made to move away, "it was nice meeting you, Egret."

…

Liara watched with a frown as Jules walked away from Egret and towards the elevator shaft, leaving the girl looking despondently towards Grunt as she shook her head apologetically. She saw Grunt nod and sigh in response and then turned her attention back to Adarna who had spent the last ten minutes trying to talk circles around her.

"…So you understand how vital it is that we gain Shepard's support, I'm sure you have no small influence in her decision, if you were to-"

"Influence?" Liara cut her off sharply, the older asari had taken a very roundabout way of getting there but Liara had known this was where the conversation was heading from the start and it annoyed her more than she had expected, "It sounds rather like you're suggesting that Shepard doesn't know her own mind."

Adarna paused for a moment and then smiled, "Come now, Liara, everyone knows the role you played in the war. You had the agents, the Shadow Broker network. Of course Shepard was the figurehead but I think we all know who the power behind the hero was."

"You're mistaken," Liara told her bluntly, "I would be nothing without Shepard, in fact I would be dead, several times over, as would you. She saved this galaxy more than once and often from itself. She was the force that drove the whole war forward. She united races that would rather have fought each other than stood together. She rallied those who wanted to hide and protect themselves. When I wanted to run to the edge of the galaxy and let civilisation burn so that we might live out our days in peace, _she_ was the one who kept me grounded, kept me fighting. She _is_ the hero the legends speak of, I just followed in her wake."

Adarna's face didn't flicker as she listened and at the end she merely smiled calmly once again, "And is that still true now? Or is she the one running to the edge of the galaxy?" Liara faltered slightly and unfortunately, Adarna noticed it all too clearly, "You grew up on Thessia my dear, you remember what it was like before the war. You know why we must reclaim our home world, even if there are other asari who have forgotten. We need someone to stir them into action, if we can't rely on Shepard, can we rely on you? For the good of your people?"

Adarna was leaning in close, a meaningful glimmer in her cold, pale eyes that made Liara want to turn away in disgust. But instead she smiled pleasantly and maintained her steady tone, "You're asking me to choose between a planet I haven't been to for two hundred years, and the oldest, truest friend that I will ever know," she said carefully, watching as the asari's eyes narrowed slightly, "I trust you can guess my answer. Please excuse me."

She left before Adarna could reply, quickly and skilfully removing herself from the conversation and trying to ignore the way her skin was crawling.

She had grown up around asari like Adarna, friends and colleagues of her mother's mostly. Politically minded and eloquently spoken they would sit for hours with Benezia, using laughter and etiquette to disguise their scheming.

When Liara was a child she had so looked up to them, their elegance, their grace, the beauty they radiated when they smiled. But her mother had been sure to teach her that outward dignity could be used to disguise a great deal of ugliness and deceit. When she had been the Shadow Broker she had learned the truth of this, even employed such tactics herself on occasion but now she had no patience for those kind of games.

She looked around the room for an ally but Jules had gone and all that was left was staring eyes that made her both uncomfortable and annoyed. She turned her back on them and left.

…

She found Jules in the cargo bay, the coldest room on the ship, of course. As she climbed down the elevator shaft she could hear voices. Well, one voice though it was speaking as though it were being answered by another. Perhaps it was simply that Liara couldn't hear it.

"You think I'm being stubborn, don't you?" Jules' voice asked the empty room and then, after a pause, she laughed, "True. Do you think what Egret said was right though? About Grunt looking up to me? Or was she just trying to get me to agree?" another pause and then a sigh, "Yes I know, I just feel like I'm being used. And then there's Liara… well I can't ask her to stay here with me, not when I know she wants to go with them… well, no, but I don't need to… no of course not, but I don't think she'll go without me… that's not what I said James!"

"Does he actually reply to you?" Liara cut in as she hopped out of the elevator shaft, making Jules jump slightly.

She looked away from the imaginary James Vega that she had been talking to and sighed, her breath misting up in front of her. Liara saw it only as a silhouette, the cargo bay was even darker than the CIC and twice as cold.

"Mostly," she answered sullenly, "course sometimes he just smirks at me and gives me that look of his," Liara saw the shadow of her head turn left and right as she glanced about the room, "Still smells of him down here, doesn't it?"

"No," Liara replied, like the rest of the ship it smelled of cold and metal and emptiness. All traces that James had ever occupied that cargo bay – his workbench, his weights, even his scent – had been stripped out and lost long ago.

She could hear Jules chewing her lip as she turned her head away again. She was sitting on an empty, upturned crate, one leg drawn up under her chin while the other swung lazily, filling the empty room with hollow _twang_ s every time her heel hit the crate's side.

Liara walked forwards and draped an arm around her as she sat, mostly in an attempt to keep her warm. Jules instinctively cuddled in and Liara shuddered slightly as she felt the human's skin press against her neck. Jules was freezing.

"Was James any help?" she asked and then smiled as Jules sighed heavily.

Talking to long dead members of the crew was a quirk Jules had picked up about thirty years ago and it was one Liara had come to accept. James was by no means the only person she conversed with; she would often nip into the gunnery to chat with Garrus or up to the cockpit to laugh with Joker. There was once Liara had found her playing chess against herself while playfully taunting Specialist Traynor and staring down the empty chair opposite her.

Perhaps Liara should have been more worried about it, but she'd come to see it as something of a coping mechanism that Jules had developed and it seemed that sometimes, her old crewmates actually gave her good advice. Not this time, however.

"Not really," Jules sniffed, her voice was cracked from the dry air and Liara instinctively held her tighter, she hated what living on this ship was doing to her, "he just wanted to talk about you. He thinks I'm being selfish."

Liara smiled a little, "I won't let you agree to help them just because of me, Jules. I know fine well that Tevos is trying to use us."

There was another pause, "But if she does manage to reclaim Thessia for the asari… would you want to be part of that? Because if you want to go on your own I'd understand."

"And what would be the point?" she asked softly, "When I'd spend every night worrying about you?"

Jules pulled away just far enough to look at her, even through the dark her turquoise eyes shone brightly, "Emotional blackmail?" she muttered glumly and Liara laughed.

"Common sense, you know we can't stay on the Normandy forever."

"The Normandy's fine," she protested but one look at Liara's expression made her sigh in defeat.

"The ship was always too big for two people to crew it and we ran out of the money and the resources to maintain her about fifty years ago. You know she'd be in much better condition if she'd stayed in that museum."

"Museum," Jules scoffed, "ships are built to fly! And it was your idea as much as mine."

Liara smiled. At the time there had been nothing she had wanted more than to steal a ship and run away. They had spent a whole century rebuilding the galaxy after the war, a galaxy that was slowly starting to forget there had even been a war as the generations passed and new ones emerged.

They had both watched as the Normandy's crew had succumbed to old age one by one until they were the only two left who had served on the ship during the war. The only two who remembered what it had really been like. And the galaxy had still kept demanding more of them.

So they had run away, off into the stars to live as mercenaries and traders, visiting all the far off planets they had never had the chance to before and for a long time it had been blissful. But it had never been going to last.

Liara reached for Jules' hand, clasping her frozen fingers as a chill made them both shudder. Around them the ship creaked now and then, its worn old metal straining under the weight of two centuries in space.

"Jules," Liara mumbled after a while, "how much longer is this going to go on for?"

There was a pause and then a soft sigh, "Not much longer. I promise."

* * *

 _ **Most of the chapters won't be quite as long as this... promise**_


	3. Faster Than Light

_Chapter Three – Faster Than Light_

Jules didn't needed to voice her answer to Grunt. When she appeared on the crew deck with her arms folded and a scowl of resignation across her brow he already knew that he had won, and the knowledge made him chuckle softly.

Jules wouldn't allow him a total victory however; she emphatically refused to abandon the Normandy, instead insisting that they follow Grunt's ship through the mass relays that would take them back to Earth, where Tevos had apparently established her headquarters.

Liara was sceptical about Jules' demand, it was probably a few years since they had taken the old girl through a relay. In fact it was months since they had even gone to FTL because of fear the ship wouldn't hold together. But she had decided that it was pointless arguing and so preparations for the journey began.

Liara and the other asari set about running as many tests as they could think of on the systems that were still functioning while Jules disappeared into engineering to check the engines and had still yet to emerge over an hour later.

"What the hell is she doing in there?" Grunt asked eventually when the tests had been completed and the ship was declared as ready as she would ever be. Liara looked up from where she was sitting and smiled sadly.

"She'll be talking to Tali."

…

"You realise the galaxy is probably falling apart without you?"

"Don't exaggerate," Jules muttered gloomily.

She was sitting on the floor of engineering with her legs swinging down into one of the service ducts that was exposed by a missing section of the metal grating. All around her the drive core was humming gently, not as quietly or healthily as it used to perhaps but she found it comforting all the same.

"I'm not exaggerating," Tali replied and Jules turned to look at the young quarian sitting next to her. For some reason she always pictured Tali in her suit when, in truth, she had spent most of her life not needing it.

The geth may have been destroyed by the Crucible, but it hadn't taken the quarians long to adapt what the machine race had taught them and after several years of research they had found ways to boost their immune systems to the point where their suits weren't necessary.

The quarians had become invaluable after the war. They had been used to surviving on little and scavenging what they needed and their technical expertise had helped hugely in the wake of the Crucible, after it had knocked out half the tech in the galaxy.

It was quarian engineers who had been the masterminds behind the reconstruction of the mass relays which had eventually reunited the galaxy again and so perhaps it was no surprise that Rannoch had been one of the first worlds to become easily assessable again.

The quarian home world had never been under siege by the reapers like the other worlds had and it was probably the most habitable home world left after the war so – in contrast to the asari – their rebuilding had been swifter than most.

With their skills in high demand and a planet to call their own, the quarian race had quickly prospered. They had formed a new government, built a thriving economy and eventually lived their lives outside their suits, breathing in the air of their world without the need of filters or detox programs.

But now Tali appeared as she had done back in the early days, young, fidgety and well hidden behind a tinted visor, "When you died in the Collector attack everything fell apart. Then when you got arrested by the Alliance everything fell apart again."

"Tali, everything was _always_ falling apart back then, whether I was there or not."

"Yes, but when you were there you fixed it, even our stupid war against the geth. Wouldn't you rather _know_ what Tevos and the asari are up to?"

Jules threw her a look, "Why are you still trying to convince me? I've agreed to go with them."

"But you're not happy about it."

"I'm an old woman, I'm allowed to be miserable!"

Tali chuckled, "It doesn't suit you though."

"Hmph," Jules looked down into the service duct, repeatedly hitting her heel against a warped piece of metal that was barely visible through the shadows.

"What do you have against Tevos anyway?" Tali asked after a moment.

"Aside from her hiding the prothean beacon on Thessia and dragging the war out longer than necessary? She's trying to use my face to sell her project."

"That's just Liara's theory," Tali dismissed, "she's not right about everything you know. Maybe Tevos just wants your support."

"My support?" Jules laughed, "Why the hell would she want that?"

Tali shrugged, "You remember what she was like after the war."

"Vividly," Jules agreed grimly.

Tevos had been one of the very few people to survive the reapers' assault on the Citadel, when they had captured it and brought it to Earth. She had stayed trapped in the wreckage for nearly two weeks before a rescue team had finally dragged her out, barely alive and traumatised by the ordeal.

When she had regained her senses, she found herself in a post war world where the asari population had been decimated, Thessia had been lost and the mass relays were unusable, more or less stranding her on Earth. Not many ships had been flyable after the Crucible had hit them - certainly not at FTL speeds - and resources for repairs had been scarce.

It had also taken a long time to re-establish communication with the rest of the galaxy and Tevos had found herself completely cut off from whatever had remained of the asari leadership – which they had later learned was very little.

The first thing the councillor had done was start a hate campaign again Shepard, trying to blame her for the mass relays' destruction rather than working to fix them. The amount of anger and confusion people had been harbouring in the aftermath of the war meant that she had gained a lot of supporters and the whole thing had made Jules' life even more difficult.

But ultimately Tevos had been a broken woman. There had been a lot of asari who had found themselves trapped on Earth after the war; some who had fought on the planet during the final battle, others who had been part of the fleet and had sought refuge on Earth in the aftermath.

Tevos's attempts to unite and lead those asari had bordered on hysterical and had eventually fallen apart. Her inability to hold her own with the human and turian leaders who were emerging was possibly one of the reasons the asari race had never really regained much power after the war. That and the fact that no other asari had seemed willing to step forward.

Eventually the HTA had been formed and Tevos had slowly slipped into the background. At some point she had gracefully accepted that she was no longer fit to rule but she was tenacious for an asari and Jules had known she wouldn't be planning to stay quiet forever.

She wondered if two hundred years was long enough for her to have gotten her head together or if this mission was just another crisis she was going through. Then again, perhaps Jules wasn't the best person to judge the metal state of others. After all, she was the one sitting in an empty room talking to a dead quarian.

"So," she muttered to the non-existent Tali, "any more words of wisdom for me?"

"If you try to jump to FTL the drive core's going to explode," Jules looked up sharply, she didn't know whether it was the statement itself that surprised her or the casual way Tali had delivered it.

"Rubbish! The Normandy's in good condition."

Tali turned to look at her, tilting her head slightly to exaggerate the incredulous expression Jules was sure she was pulling beneath that visor, "The Normandy hasn't had any maintenance for over a century. If you try to power up the FTL it'll cause a massive power overload that will spread through every system on the ship. I'm being serious."

"So what are you suggesting? I can't just abandon her."

Tali looked down, shrugging slightly as she replied, "It's just a ship, Jules."

"Hmph, now I _know_ you're not really Tali."

As soon as she said it the illusion vanished and Jules was left alone with only the unhealthy hum of the drive core for company. Suddenly it didn't seem so comforting anymore.

She sat there for a while longer until the door opened behind her and Liara came in.

"Are you ready?" she asked softly and after a moment Jules nodded.

"Yeah, let's get it over with."

…

Jules sat at the pilot's controls while Liara took up the co-pilot's seat. Behind them the asari were passing swiftly back through the airlock as they re-boarded their own ship and prepared to disengage from the Normandy.

Grunt, on the other hand, stayed put behind Jules' chair, staring steadily over her shoulder in a manner that was impossible for her to ignore.

"Shouldn't you be on your own bridge?" she asked dryly after a moment then looked over her shoulder to see the krogan barely glance at her in response.

"I'd rather stay here."

"Why? I'm not going to run off or anything. I gave you my word I'd follow you, don't you trust my word anymore?"

He avoided eye contact, hesitating enough for her to sigh heavily, "Never mind, don't answer. I don't want us to fall out with each other. Are your lot ready to get going?"

He answered by activating his omni-tool, "They say the ship's ready to go… hold on, they're picking up another ship heading for us."

"Let me see," Jules spun round in her chair and took hold of Grunt's arm, making him lean down so that she could see the interface, "I don't believe it. It's that fucking salvager again! Didn't he take the hint the first time? Get him on the comm," she turned back to Liara who obliged.

There was a pause before a human man came into view on the screen. He was unshaven with long, shaggy hair that fell untidily across his forehead and he was slumped casually in a leather chair, his legs slung up over the arm.

"Hello again," he grinned pleasantly though there was something lurid lurking behind the greeting.

"What do you want?" Jules asked him bluntly, "Because I'm pretty sure I sent you packing a week ago."

He shrugged carelessly, turning away to pick something out of his teeth before he spoke, "Thought I'd come and see if you'd had a chance to rethink your answer."

Jules folded her arms, "Why? Have you come up with a less insulting offer? Because I don't care how much you're willing to pay, this ship is not for sale."

He chuckled, seemingly amused, "That ship is only good for scrap. Frankly, _you_ should be paying _me_ to take it apart."

Jules bristled but didn't rise to the insult as she exchanged a sideways glance with Liara, "Well, like I said, she's not for sale."

He snorted, his demeanour suddenly changing as he swung his legs down from the chair arm and leaned forward, "Oh, the time's long passed for that, love. I was willing to pay before but now? I'm happy to take it for free."

"Free? And how are you planning to do that?"

"Oh c'mon, we both know that piece of junk is barely fit to fly, a few well-placed shots and the whole hull should break apart. Makes salvaging it easier anyway."

Jules opened her mouth but before she could come up with a retort the comm link severed and she was left seething at a blank screen.

"Arrogant little bastard," she muttered before turning to Grunt, "what kind of guns has your ship got?"

The krogan shrugged and shook his head, "It's unarmed."

"Unarmed? You agreed to take command of an unarmed ship? Jesus Grunt! What has that asari done to you?"

"Enough!" Liara cut in, "Jules, he's charging weapons. Are our canons still online?"

"Sort of, their power circuits are keeping the heating systems running so I'd have to rewire it all. By which point he'll already have blown a hole through our hull."

"Then we have to evacuate, he won't come after us in Grunt's ship."

"No way!" Jules snapped, "I am not letting some jumped up little scavenger get his hands on the ship that defeated the reapers!"

"Then what do you suggest?"

Jules went quiet for a moment, frowning down at the console in front of her before she finally gave a resigned sigh, "Grunt, get back on board your ship. You too Liara."

"I'm not leaving without you," Liara said.

"You won't have to, I'll be right behind you," she looked up and saw Liara frowning at her suspiciously, "trust me," she added with a smile, "I'll be fine. Now go."

…

Grunt's ship was clean, and warm, and brightly lit in white-blue light that complemented its smooth, metallic surfaces, giving it the impression of being fairly newly constructed. It smelled of asari and air fresheners and the computers hummed and beeped softly with reassuring consistency.

None of this, however, was of present concern to Liara as she barged her way through to the cockpit and leaned over the plush pilot's chair where an asari was sitting.

"What's happening?" Liara demanded of her, only briefly registering that she had not been one of the ones who had boarded the Normandy.

The woman glanced back at her and seemed to do a double take before she quickly recovered and answered, "The scavenger's ship is coming around for another attack, he's fired two shots already, the Normandy is… _Goddess_ ," she breathed suddenly, "she's charging the FTL drive."

"What?" Grunt said, forcing his way past several other members of the crew as he followed Liara into the cockpit, "What the hell is she playing at?"

"She'll have a plan," Liara told him, "she always has a plan."

"Yeah, to run off with the Normandy and disappear again!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Liara snapped, "Aside from anything else, the Normandy's in no condition to run anywhere!"

"We have to disengage the ship," the pilot said suddenly, reaching for the controls to separate them from the Normandy.

"No!" Liara yelled, "Shepard's still on board, we can't leave her!"

"We have to, if we don't our ship will be-"

No one ever found out what would happen, at least not from the pilot's mouth as she was suddenly dragged out of her chair and pinned against the wall, "We are NOT leaving without Shepard!" Liara shouted, her body lighting up with biotics as she pressed her forearm against the asari's neck, making her choke and splutter as she tried to speak.

"Now, now, Liara. Put the nice lady down."

Her grip instantly loosened at Jules' voice and she turned to see the human breezing in through the cockpit door, pausing only briefly to raise one eyebrow at the scene, "And if you wouldn't mind putting her back in her chair, we need her to pilot this ship as far away from the Normandy as possible, preferably before the FTL charges."

"Why? What's going to happen when-"

"Questions later," Jules cut the pilot off – more gently than Liara had – and carefully manoeuvred herself in between the two of them as she nudged her back towards the controls, "quick as you can," she repeated as the pilot sat, "oh, and it's good to see you again Ereba."

She clapped a hand to the pilot's shoulder and the asari looked round in surprise, "You remember me?"

"I remember everyone, now…" she gestured meaningfully to the controls and Ereba nodded.

"Of course, disengaging from the Normandy's airlock…" there was a soft clunk somewhere distant through the ship but they barely felt any movement at all as Ereba steered them away from the Normandy.

"How long till the Normandy's FTL charges?" Jules asked and Ereba looked down at her console.

"Twenty seconds."

"Get us as far away as you can, and keep the Normandy on the view screen."

Ereba did as she was told and they watched as the Normandy grew steadily smaller and smaller while the scavenger ship continued to fire on her.

"Five seconds till the FTL charges," Ereba muttered.

"Jules, what-"

"Shh," Jules said softly, stopping Liara before she could ask as they continued to watch.

"Four… three… two… one," at first nothing seemed to happen, aside from Jules' breath hitching slightly.

Then, as they watched, the Normandy's hull seemed to crack and split apart, revealing white-hot light spreading through the ship.

Starting from the engines, the metal twisted and warped and for a split-second the Normandy SR2 shone with the intensity of a star; then the hull crumpled and collapsed and the galaxy's most famous ship vanished in a silent flash of light.

A gentle shockwave rocked the cockpit and a second explosion was witnessed as the scavenger ship was caught in the blast, leaving nothing but a field of debris floating in space.

Surprisingly, it was Liara – not Jules – who reacted most to the sight. Her hand flew up to her mouth, stifling a strangled cry as her legs seemed to give out beneath her and she sank into a chair by one of the consoles.

Several of the asari watched her and exchanged hesitant glances as they appeared to consider offering some comfort. But ultimately, the room remained silent and no one moved.

For a moment Jules just stared blankly at the screen before she finally turned away and laid a hand gently against Liara's shoulder. The asari looked up at her, her sapphire eyes glistening with tears.

"How did you know?" she breathed.

Jules just smiled sadly, "Tali's never wrong."


	4. Insomnia

_Chapter Four – Insomnia_

"Was killing the salvager really necessary?"

Jules was seated on a high bed in the med bay of Grunt's ship while an asari doctor – whose name Jules had briefly registered as Doctor T'Carra – shone a light into her eyes.

The medical check-up had been compulsory and Jules hadn't really been in the mood to argue.

After watching the Normandy's destruction, the whole crew had become very quiet and the plush, clean ship had taken on a somewhat sombre feel. None of the asari had seemed to have the nerve to say anything and so it was Grunt who had eventually broken the silence by ordering Ereba to set a course for the relay and then escorted Jules and Liara to the med bay.

Liara had been examined first – at Jules' insistence – and had then been led away by a few of the younger asari who had seemed thrilled at the prospect of speaking to her, though Jules had noticed that Liara's eyes held significantly less enthusiasm. But she had followed them all the same and Jules was left alone with the doctor.

While being instructed to 'look left' she had caught sight of one of the pristine windows that looked out onto the stars and had been grimly reminding herself of what clean glass looked like when the doctor had spoken.

"Better than letting him get his hands on my ship," she replied moodily.

"Really?" T'Carra sounded intrigued, "You'd rather see her destroyed than in someone else's possession? Look up."

"Obviously," Jules muttered as she raised her eyes and was confronted with an equally pristine, smooth metal ceiling.

 _Doesn't this ship have a single scuff mark?_ She mused irritably as she began to feel increasingly homesick.

"And what of the salvager?" the doctor continued to probe as she crouched down a little and peered closer into Jules' eyes, "Do you think he deserved to die?"

"He was an arrogant little shit who was perfectly willing to kill me and Liara just to get his hands on some scrap metal," she snapped, "do you really think the galaxy will mourn him?"

The doctor pulled back and clicked off the torch, leaving Jules to blink uncomfortably as she tried to get rid of the bright spots now dancing around her retina. The doctor didn't react to Jules' outburst as she instead calmly activated her omni-tool and performed several scans in silence.

From the patience and grace that she was displaying, Jules guessed she wasn't one of the younger asari. She was tall and the pale markings that framed her face were strangely geometric, reminding Jules slightly of the scars she had woken up with after Cerberus had rebuilt her.

Those scars had been healed centuries ago and as Jules reminisced, her thoughts drifted to Doctor Chakwas. The grey-haired doctor would never have let Jules get away with speaking to her like that, she had been one of the few people willing to put Jules in her place if she ever overstepped the mark and the memories made her smile slightly.

But this doctor was responding to her sulking by ignoring it, making her feel more like a petulant child than a respected hero. As the silence continued, Jules eventually grew to regret snapping at the woman and sighed heavily.

"What's with all the questions anyway? You're not a psychologist are you?"

That prompted a flicker of a smile on T'Carra's lips, likely because of the distain Jules had said it with, "Not by trade. But every element of the crew's health is important to me, raise your arm."

"Is the whole crew asari?"

"Apart from Grunt, yes. Now make a fist."

"What's he like, as a commander."

"Thoughtful, conscientious, very patient with his crew."

Jules raised her eyebrows in mild surprise, which obviously didn't escape the doctor's notice.

"You find that hard to believe?"

"No," she said quickly, "it's just… he used to fall out of hospital windows and set fire to C-Sec cars."

"And I used to dance on tables in Chora's Den," she smiled, "the war changed a lot of us. You can lower your arm now," she continued to frown at her omni-tool as Jules dropped her arm and eventually enough time passed that Jules knew she wasn't getting a simple all-clear.

"Don't keep me in suspense, Doc. Give me the bad news first."

Doctor T'Carra glanced up at her and hesitated before she spoke, "Commander… when was the last time you ate?"

"I'm not a commander," Jules told her bluntly, "and I ate this morning… or… yesterday morning," at some point the days had all started blurring together.

"Mhm, and when was the last time you had a meal that consisted of something other than dried rations?" Jules thought for a moment, opened her mouth to answer and found that she had none. Real food was hard to come by on the edge of the galaxy and it had been well out of her and Liara's price range for quite a while.

"You're malnourished," the doctor informed her, "dangerously. You also have muscle strain from poor sleeping conditions and your body was suffering from the cold. A few more weeks and you would have started to notice some serious health problems. Surely you must have known your lifestyle wasn't sustainable?"

Jules closed her eyes briefly but didn't reply, "What about Liara?"

"Her condition isn't _quite_ as bad as yours, your implants put a huge strain on your metabolism meaning you need to eat more than she does but… well, she has numerous vitamin deficiencies and is in dire need of a decent meal. You both are."

Jules looked away quietly. She had known for months that their lifestyle wasn't exactly good for their health but she had ignored it, knowing that facing up to it would mean leaving the Normandy and trying to find a way back into society.

Liara had said nothing, content to wait patiently for Jules to come to her senses like a typical asari. Jules wondered if the modern day asari would have put up with life on the Normandy for quite as long as Liara had.

The truth was that no matter how much Jules thought about it, she just couldn't face the idea of returning to civilisation again. Crowds and cities and curious faces all wondering where she had been this past century. Questions and gossip and people forever wanting to air their opinions. The thought made her shudder.

Perhaps after all these years away she'd developed agoraphobia… or perhaps she was just a grumpy old woman alive long past her time, she mused with a smile.

Doctor T'Carra had gone quiet, still gazing at the scans on her omni-tool with a curious frown.

"Something else wrong?" Jules asked, making the asari look up.

"No, sorry Shepard. I was just looking at your implants. The technology is incredible, far beyond anything we have today."

"Cerberus were advanced even before the war," Jules agreed, she knew that two centuries of rebuilding had left little time or resources for innovation and technologically the galaxy was still behind what it had been before the war.

"They were certainly built to last," T'Carra muttered, "I doubt anything else this advanced managed to survive the Crucible."

The door to the med bay opened and Ereba entered. The pilot lingered for a moment in the doorway as the doctor turned to look at her, "Shouldn't you be flying the ship?" she asked casually but not accusingly.

"My shift just ended," Ereba said, "I… was wondering if I could talk to Shepard."

T'Carra nodded, "We're done here, you can take her to the mess hall, get some food inside her."

Jules hopped off the bed, swiftly taking the chance to get away and making a beeline for Ereba who – compared to the rest of the crew – was something of a friendly face, even if they hadn't spoken since before the war.

"C'mon," she muttered as she reached the girl and steered her back out through the door, "if you linger too long around doctors they always find more tests to run."

…

The first thing Jules noticed about the ship as Ereba led her through the gently winding corridors, was that there were hardly any straight lines. Everything on the ship was curved and smooth. The corridors snaked their way between rooms without harsh corners or junctions and even the walls and the ceiling were circular so that they formed more of a tunnel than a corridor.

At first glance the general aesthetics reminded her most of asari designs but not exclusively, the more she looked the more she saw human and salarian influences, showing how much of a confused, cultural muddle the galaxy had become after the war.

The lighting wasn't to Jules' taste. It was a blue-white glow that illuminated the corridors at a level that strained her eyes uncomfortably though it didn't seem to bother Ereba. Aesthetics aside, the ship had clearly been built for an asari crew.

"I can't believe it's really you, Commander," Ereba said as they walked, chuckling softly to herself.

"You can drop the commander," Jules told her, already sick of having to correct people, "it's just Jules these days. And I was just as surprised to find you flying a ship, you were a gift shop attendant the last time we met."

Jules remembered Ereba most from Illium where she had been soul-searching over her relationship with an uncommonly poetic krogan called Charr. Jules had helped the pair of them get together and remembered feeling pretty good about it at the time, until several months later when she had to deliver news of Charr's death to Ereba on the Citadel.

"There wasn't a lot of call for gift shops after the war," Ereba explained with a smile, "I had to find a new trade."

"Piloting was an interesting choice."

"Oh it wasn't the only thing I did. I've been a nurse, a scout, an engineer, a scavenger, whatever needed doing really."

Jules smiled and nodded. It was amazing the new skills people had learned after the war.

"What made you start working for Tevos?"

She paused for a moment, "Homesickness, I suppose."

"You miss Thessia," Jules understood, "you… realise the old Thessia is gone, don't you? Even if we repopulate it and rebuild the cities, it won't be the same."

Ereba gave her a small, hesitant smile but said nothing as she led Jules into a large mess area.

There were several tables, enough for perhaps fifty people to sit comfortably but the only one that was occupied was in the far corner where Jules saw Liara sitting with her arms folded and one leg slung over the other as a gaggle of young asari surrounded her.

They seemed to be bombarding her with multiple questions about everything from the reapers to Matriarch Benezia. Liara was deflecting most of them with one word answers and hard scowls but it was apparently doing nothing to dampen the maidens' enthusiasm and as Jules entered, Liara looked up and caught her eye with an expression that screamed: _help me!_

Behind her, large observation windows lined the wall, offering a breathtaking view of the stars they were travelling through.

"I'll get you something to eat, Commander," Ereba said and moved away before Jules could once again tell her that she wasn't a commander anymore. She could tell that was going to get boring quickly and sighed as she wandered over to join Liara and her group of fans.

"Girls," she muttered to the young asari as she came up behind them and as they turned to see her she was greeted with glittering eyes and wide smiles.

"Commander," one of them said and Jules gave herself credit for managing to clench her fists only briefly, "we were just asking Liara about how you two met."

"Were you indeed?" Jules held Liara's gaze meaningfully as she slipped into the seat beside her and saw a kind of pleading in her eyes, coupled with a good amount of annoyance – Liara was not fond of fan clubs.

"It was on Therum wasn't it?" another added eagerly, "They say you saved Liara from the geth, that you found her trapped and alone in some prothean ruins and dragged her out while an army of geth chased you!"

Jules blinked, she wondered just how many stories about them were being told across the new galaxy, and how many were anything approaching accurate.

"I'm not sure it was quite as heroic as that," Jules started, very aware of Liara who had her head down and was pinching the bridge of her nose as she tried to hide how uncomfortable she was, "and I wouldn't say Liara needed _saving_ exactly, you should have seen her take down the krogan battlemaster who was stupid enough to get in our way."

Liara's head shot up now, her blue eyes glinting incredulously as she threw Jules a questioning frown.

"Really?" one of the asari asked with excitement.

"Oh yeah," Jules replied before Liara could stop her, "charged right into him, coupled it with a shockwave and sent him flying, I'd never seen anything like it."

"You must have been very young at the time, surely?" one of them said to Liara, who remained briefly lost for words before she stammered her answer.

"Erm, yes. I was one-hundred-and-six."

"And you managed to take down a krogan battlemaster?"

"Well…"

"He was as surprised as you," Jules cut in, nodding emphatically, "didn't know what had hit him, course he didn't have much time to worry about it – Liara finished him off before he knew which way was up."

"That's incredible."

"I…" Liara looked around at the eager – and now very impressed – faces but seemed not to have a response so after a moment she simply sighed helplessly and looked away.

"Listen," Jules spoke up, smiling gently at their interrogators, "it's been a bit of a rough day for us, perhaps we could carry this on another time?"

"Oh," the asari who spoke didn't hide her disappointment but she smiled anyway, "of course, sorry Commander. We'll just… get back to work then."

The group rose and left and once they were out of earshot Jules turned to see Liara glaring at her calmly, "As I recall," she began, "it was _you_ who fought the krogan battlemaster, while I cowered in a corner."

"Shh," Jules smiled, "they don't need to know that. There's enough heroic stories about me out there already."

"I don't want to be a hero, Jules. I was always perfectly content working from the shadows," she stopped and sighed, "I have a feeling we're about to be flung back into the lime light."

Jules looked at her for a moment, "Are you alright? About the Normandy I mean."

She paused thoughtfully, "I think so. What have we honestly lost? Our memories weren't stored inside the Normandy's hull, we'll always carry them with us. It was… a shock, that's all."

"Yeah," Jules muttered, "I know," the Normandy had witnessed so much history in its time, seeing it reduced to debris in mere seconds had been hard for her brain to process.

"There is one thing troubling me though," Liara added, "if you knew the drive core was likely to overload… did you intend on killing us both?"

Jules shook her head softly, "I didn't _really_ think the core would overload. Not until that scavenger showed up. I just figured that I'd at least make him chase the old girl. But then I saw the energy readings when it was powering up and… well… Tali's never wrong. It was better this way anyway, one last victory for the old girl."

Liara was silent, frowning down into her hands as she always did when she was deep in thought.

"Were you afraid I'd become suicidal as well as deranged?" Jules asked after a while and threw her a wry smile which Liara returned in kind.

"You're not deranged Jules, you're just… eccentric."

"Ha! You really think so?"

"Well I should know. I spend enough time inside your head after all," her smile made her eyes dazzle like sapphires as she met Jules' gaze, "you know, if that scavenger hadn't attacked us, we'd have powered up the FTL after Grunt's ship had disengaged from us and we might not have been able to stop the overload once it started. In a strange way, he might actually have saved our lives."

Jules grimaced slightly as she realised the truth of that, "The galaxy never stops finding ways to surprise us, does it?"

…

The food was better than expected. Jules had envisaged the kind of packed rations she remembered from Alliance ships but instead they were given chicken – that had been frozen for the journey – and vegetables that had apparently been grown on board.

It was all freshly cooked and a very far cry from the dismal stuff she and Liara had been surviving on these past decades. So much so that Jules actually found it a little hard to stomach the meal, her body was apparently too used to living on less.

It took them a while but eventually Jules and Liara finished eating and were shown to their cabins.

They were given separate rooms. After all, there was absolutely no reason for anyone on board to assume they wouldn't _want_ separate rooms; their relationship had never been widely known about in the galaxy – even if it had been widely rumoured.

Jules lay on her back as she gazed around the cabin. It was small, with room only for the bed, a narrow set of drawers and a cramped bathroom area concealed behind a plastic screen. The bed was small too but the mattress was soft and the sheets were crisp and smelled of soap.

The shower had been stocked with a whole horde of hair products, likely by someone who knew nothing about having hair and had simply grabbed anything and everything they could find.

Therefore there was shampoo for dry hair, damaged hair and coloured hair, products to strengthen, thicken and add shine, conditioners of varying different qualities and scents and a whole boxful of combs and brushes, some of which she was pretty sure were meant for horses.

There was also, interestingly, three different hair dyes which made Jules wonder how the crew would react if she walked out the next morning as a blonde.

As much as she had been determined to play the part of the miserable old recluse being dragged back to civilisation against her will, she couldn't help but cheer up a little as she stood beneath a stream of hot water – real, clean water that hadn't already been recycled a-hundred-and-fifty times – and smiled at the thought of a very confused asari buying up an entire aisle of hair products.

As it happened, she washed her hair four times, revelling in each one as she felt months of dirt and grime flowing away. It had taken about half a bottle of conditioner before she had managed to get a comb through the tangled birds' nest that her hair had become and after well over an hour of work she had finally managed to get the knots out.

She had plaited it neatly in a braid that fell across her shoulder and now she lay staring at the clean, bare ceiling, letting her thoughts drift away with themselves. They were mainly centred around Liara.

She hadn't really expected that they would share a room, they had only slept in the same 'bed' on the Normandy to try and stave off the cold. Not that there hadn't been other benefits too…

Looking back, she couldn't actually remember when she and Liara had first become lovers, it hadn't been until after the war, she knew that much. Though in retrospect perhaps it had always been inevitable.

During their fight against the reapers she and Liara been friends. Good friends. Close friends. Maybe more than friends. Companions? Confidantes? Family? She wasn't sure she had a word to adequately describe it.

They had kept secrets that neither had ever shared with anyone else, found comfort in each other's silence more than conversation and generally understood each other on a level that seemed to go beyond anything Jules could describe.

She couldn't remember when romance had come into it, the affair had just sort of… happened. They had been living in draughty, prefab huts on Earth as they tried to rebuild London while simultaneously coordinating an entire planet-full of survivors and organising repairs to the mass relays. At nights they had just sort of, ended up together and by day not a word about it was ever said. They were both naturally private people and becoming intergalactic heroes had only made them more so.

When the last of the Normandy crew had died off and they were the only two left, Jules had suddenly become truly aware of the realities of a longer lifespan and it had terrified her. It hadn't been long after that when they had stolen the Normandy.

When it was just the two of them, they had quickly fallen into a comfortable way of life and they hadn't always woken up in the same bed, not until the power had started failing and the heating was turned down.

But if it had only been for the sake of practicality, why was she finding it so hard to sleep on her own?

She must have mulled the question over for an hour or more before she eventually gave up on the idea of sleep and kicked back the crisp, clean quilt, briefly marvelling at how there was no icy rush of air as she did.

She stepped out of the bed and headed for the door, she was wearing only a tank top and a pair of shorts – clean clothes that had been provided for her in the room – but the ship was pleasantly warm and she decided to revel in the luxury of being able to walk around half-dressed without freezing to death.

She stepped out into the corridor and looked both left and right. It curved off in both directions and there seemed to be no one about. Still unfamiliar with the layout of the ship, Jules picked a random direction and began to wander.

She didn't encounter anyone as she meandered through the winding corridors, squinting in the uncomfortable light levels that somehow seemed too bright and too dim at the same time. As she was passing an open doorway a noise drew her attention and she peered inside to find a small lounge area, not unlike the port observation room on the Normandy… which had actually become more of a box room in its later years…

There was a small bar in the corner and she saw Grunt sitting alone on one of the bar stools with a bottle in his hand as he gazed out at the stars through a small porthole window.

She smiled as she entered the room and when he turned and saw her his face split into a grin, "Shepard! I'm toasting the Normandy," he indicated to the bottle, "will you join me?"

"I don't drink so much these days," she said but one look at his expression made her relent, "oh alright, since it's a good cause."

"Hehe," Grunt chuckled, "to the Normandy!" he took a large swig of whatever the bottle was and then thrust it into her hand. She decided it was best not to pause and think about what the alcohol might be and instead took a mouthful.

Whatever it was it made her choke and her eyes watered as she sat but she didn't complain and Grunt didn't comment.

"She was a good ship, Shepard!" he declared, banging his fist on the table.

"The best," she agreed quietly.

"Then you had to go and blow her up!" the fact seemed to amuse him and he laughed heartily, though Jules suspected that had something to do with how much of the drink he'd consumed.

"At least she went out with a bang," Jules muttered.

"Taking down one last foe!" Grunt agreed, "There's worse ways to go, Shepard!" again he chuckled and took another drink but Jules saw a sadness in his pale eyes as he watched the stars racing by through the window.

"How long have you been out here looking for us?" she asked, she didn't want to talk about the Normandy.

"Eight months, give or take. You and Liara are hard to find, how do you cover your tracks so well?"

"We don't talk to anyone," she replied bluntly, and Grunt chuckled in understanding, "how did you find us in the end? Pot luck?"

"Nah, Tevos got a tipoff. Someone told her where you were and she sent us the coordinates."

Jules frowned and turned to look at him, "Who?"

He shrugged, "She said it was anonymous."

"Do you believe her?"

"No."

They fell quiet, enjoying the kind of comfortable silence only old friends can. As the time passed Jules took several more swigs from the bottle, each one becoming easier to swallow than the last.

"This ship have a name?" she eventually asked, gazing around at the polished metal surfaces.

"Armali," Grunt replied, groggily resting his head sideways on his arm to peer at her, "it's named after some place on Thessia."

"Yeah, I know it," Jules agreed. Or at least she had seen Armali through Liara's childhood memories. The area she had grown up in had been a quiet, idyllic sort of place; Jules wondered how well it had survived the war.

"This ship looks new."

"Mhm," he muttered, taking a sideways swig from the bottle without raising his head and promptly choking, "Tevos had four of them built," he spluttered as he sat upright and wiped away the drink he'd covered himself with, "flagships of her fleet!"

"Unarmed flagships?"

"We're not going to war, Shepard!" he exclaimed drunkenly, "This is a mission of peace, and hope, moving forward into… a new era of…" he waved his hand about as he searched for a suitable word, "prosperity."

Jules blinked at him for a moment, her face utterly blank. Then they both burst out laughing.

" _Peace_ and _hope_?" Jules repeated with emphasis, choking slightly through her laughter, "Jesus Grunt, you must really love Egret."

"Sure," he shrugged, "but that's not the point. War isn't the way forward, Shepard, there are better ways to find victory than through petty disputes."

"Is this the same Grunt talking? War isn't the way forward?"

"The war taught me a lot," he allowed, "but peace has taught me more."

"Well, well," she chuckled, "you've grown up Grunt. Didn't think I'd see the day."

He shrugged again, "The krogan are changing, Shepard. We're finding new ways forward."

"Ways outside of Tuchanka?" Jules reached over and pulled the bottle out of his hand, taking another swig and coughing vigorously, "I'm still amazed Wrex let you leave. The most genetically perfect krogan alive and you decide to donate your DNA to the asari genepool," she laughed and swayed slightly on her stool as the drink started to kick in, "are there any little blue Grunts running around yet?" she asked innocently.

"Don't be stupid," he mumbled, "Egret's only ninety-seven, she's too young for all that. She wants to see the galaxy first. And not every krogan thinks I'm genetically perfect, some of the older ones still think that being tank-bred means I'm not a _real_ krogan. Whatever that means."

"Bastards," Jules muttered, normally she might have come up with something more eloquent but the alcohol was starting to blur her coherence a little and she couldn't be bothered to try and think her way through the haze that was engulfing her.

"What about you, Shepard?" Grunt asked suddenly.

"What about me?"

"You and Liara. I remember the rumours after the war about you two."

Jules gazed at him for a moment, "Maybe that's all they were. Rumours."

"Yeah?" he challenged, the corners of his mouth curling into a grin, "Even after a hundred years alone together on the Normandy? You must have had a lot of time to kill," he began to chuckle knowingly.

Jules took a deep breath as she stared down through the neck of the bottle, squinting slightly only to find that it was now empty. As Grunt's words slowly registered with her brain she eventually turned to frown at him and decided to choose her next sentence carefully.

"Shut up Grunt."

She left the young krogan asleep at the bar, his loud snores filling the empty room, and sauntered back to her cabin, taking several wrong turns as she groggily tried to retrace her steps. At least she might find it easier to sleep now.

When she finally did reach the right room, she opened the door and found Liara waiting for her. The asari was also dressed for bed and was sitting on the mattress with her knees drawn up under her chin. When Jules appeared in the doorway she opened her mouth as though to explain but then faltered and just smiled softly instead.

"Yeah," Jules agreed as she stepped into the room, "I couldn't sleep either."

…

Doctor T'Carra sat alone in the med bay, nursing a glass of brandy in one hand as she studied the scans she had taken of Shepard with a thoughtful frown.

She didn't look up as the door opened and Adarna entered, nor did she speak when the asari glided over to the table and lingered in her eye-line.

"Well?" she said eventually, "Is it as good as we thought?"

T'Carra drained the drink and shook her head as she tossed the scans over for Adarna to see.

"No. It's better."

* * *

 _ **Thank you for all the continued feedback, I love reading all your theories and the like so keep them coming. We're off to Earth next where Tevos awaits...**_


	5. The Legacy of War

_Chapter Five – The Legacy of War_

Liara awoke with her head against Jules' shoulder, as she had done every day for decades.

Today though she wasn't lying on a table, she was covered by a soft quilt rather than a leather jacket and the air that touched the exposed parts of her skin didn't send a chill right through to her bones.

She could hear the soft, steady breathing that told her Jules was still asleep and so she lay still and decided to revel in the moment.

They had both slept in clean clothes, the mattress beneath them was actually comfortable and as she nuzzled her nose gently against Jules' skin she realised it smelled of soap for the first time in… well, longer than she could remember. Not that she had ever been aware of Jules smelling _unpleasant_ , in fact the heady, human scent she was so used to was still there, merely diluted by jasmine and cherry blossom.

Beneath the sheets, Liara's hand rested on the exposed skin of Jules' abdomen where her top had ridden up through the night. She slid her fingers smoothly across the flat stomach and up to the ribs that were more prominent than they once had been.

It was a body Liara knew every inch of, even better than her own, and it had changed over the years. For a long time now she had watched as Jules wasted away, as her face became gaunt and her smile faded; but perhaps now that would change. Perhaps the rosy glow would return to her cheeks and she would walk without staggering from muscle ache and joint pain. Even if nothing else good came of their return it would still be worth it for that.

As the moments drifted by, Liara raised a hand to a stray lock of hair that had come loose from Jules' braid and coiled it loosely through her fingers. The previously dry and coarse strands were now soft to the touch and they had regained their vivid shades of red which almost seemed to sparkle in the dim light of the cabin.

Liara smiled as she brushed the lock aside and waited contentedly.

Eventually Jules stirred, shifted slightly on the bed, stretched one arm above her head and then grimaced and swore irritably.

"Ah, fuck!" she muttered, wincing slightly.

"Is your back still troubling you?" Liara asked gently.

"Mm," she winced again, arching her back so she could massage it at the base of her spine, "all this time sleeping on that table, I think suddenly switching to a soft mattress has actually made it worse."

"It'll be better in the long run," Liara told her.

"Typical asari, always planning ahead," Jules grunted in mock annoyance, making Liara smile as the human struggled onto her side, "Jesus, my head, what the hell was I drinking last night?"

"I don't know. I think you said Grunt gave it to you."

"Urgh," she moaned and buried her head against Liara's neck, apparently under the impression that it would help.

Liara cradled her for a while, gently tucking back some of the loose strands of hair that had been made untidy through the night until Jules pulled away and blinked at her sleepily.

"Are _you_ okay?"

"I think so," she agreed, "although… part of me wishes we were still on the Normandy."

Jules smiled and wrinkled her nose, "In the cold, and the grime, and the stale air?"

"With no one around to trouble us," Liara added, letting a hint of apprehension slip into her tone which she knew Jules would pick up on.

Liara was no longer the shy archaeologist that Jules had first met two hundred years ago, but that didn't mean she enjoyed being the centre of attention. She had never been social, certainly not outside her closest friends anyway and Jules was the only close friend she had left these days. She had tolerated living in a city when she had been on Illium but even then her focus on her work had managed to keep her fairly isolated.

During and after the war her work had again been her priority, most of it going unnoticed or being credited to Jules instead, which was exactly how Liara had liked it. The life of a recluse had turned out to suit her perfectly but she wondered if she hadn't let it go on too long. Now that their return to civilisation was imminent she was finding the thought more daunting than she had expected.

Jules was tracing lines across Liara's lips, watching the frown of her brow as though she could read Liara's thoughts through it, "You know, we haven't actually agreed to help Tevos yet," she murmured softly, a playful smile twitching at the corners of her mouth, "we could always steal another ship and run away again… this one's nice. Could keep us going for another hundred years at least."

Liara relaxed a little and returned the smile softly, "Somehow I don't think Grunt would sit back and let you take his ship, and there are a lot of asari on board. That's a lot of biotics to deal with."

Jules laughed, "You saw them when we attacked them in the CIC, they didn't even dare raise a barrier against us. We're the heroes of the Reaper War!" she said it dramatically, a sparkle in her bright, turquoise eyes that hid her true feelings. Jules didn't like being the centre of attention either.

"How do you feel about seeing Earth again?" Liara asked after a while. There was a long pause while Jules continued to study the outline of her mouth rather than make eye contact.

"I don't know. It'll be strange I suppose, it must have changed a lot since we last saw it."

Liara was similarly conflicted. She and Jules had both lived on Earth for decades after the war, it had become as much of a home to her as Thessia had ever been. They had both been hugely involved in the rebuilding though even by the time they had left, the planet still bore the scars of war. Liara wondered how well it had recovered over the past century.

She must have been frowning again as Jules suddenly leaned in to kiss her on the nose, "Cheer up, there's no point worrying before we even get there."

Liara smiled, she knew Jules was right but she was given little time to dwell on it as the human hooked a leg over her thigh and drew her in even closer. Jules' mouth was on hers and she tasted warm breath and lips that were dry and cracked but no less gentle than they had always been. She laughed softly as Jules pulled away and pushed her back against the pillows.

"Juliet, what _are_ you doing?"

Jules smiled devilishly and leaned in towards her neck, "Taking advantage of a mattress with springs."

…

No one came to wake them so they got up only when they were tired of lying down. With soft pillows beneath them, a thick quilt over them and the warmth of each other's bodies they did not tire quickly, but they both knew they couldn't avoid facing the asari crew forever.

Despite being the cleanest they had been in months they both showered again – just for the novelty – and dressed in the clothes that had been provided.

Jules let her hair dry loose. All this time without attention meant that the strands now grew more than halfway down her back and fanned out to swamp her in a mane of chestnut red that contrasted so strikingly with her gleaming turquoise eyes that even Liara was momentarily taken aback.

Her transformation didn't go unnoticed by the crew either. As they walked into the mess hall there were two groups of asari enjoying breakfast and both their conversations suddenly broke off when Jules entered, only for urgent whispering and sideways glances to take its place instead.

Jules seemed not to mind as she smiled at them and led Liara to the far corner. But as she sat she breathed out heavily and turned to mutter something to Liara under her breath: "How long until we reach Earth?"

…

Twelve days was the answer. Twelve days spent getting used to being on a ship with other people again. Of eating while young asari were trying to make conversation. Of turning a corner and having to make eye-contact with a crew member.

Needless to say, Liara was not enjoying the adjustment.

In fact, there were several times she found herself ducking out of view when one or more of the asari appeared and staying concealed until they passed. It wasn't fear that was motivating her, she just didn't wish to talk to them. Especially since the conversations were mostly tedious and served no purpose.

Liara was not adept at talking about nothing. 'Small talk' as the humans used to call it. There had been very few people in Liara's life whom she actually enjoyed having meaningless conversations with, and only one of them was still alive.

Ironically, she found that being alone on the ship brought the same unease as when she was in a room full of people and so at nights she returned to Jules and they talked about nothing.

As much as Jules was trying to pretend she was miserable and put out by the whole situation, Liara could tell that part of her had missed having a crew of admirers to hang on her every word. There had been several times she had found Jules surrounded by a group of asari as she regaled them with some hugely embellished tale from the war or its aftermath.

Jules was never the hero of her own stories though, instead she spoke of Garrus or Tali or other friends they had fought beside. Sometimes she even treated her eager audience to stories about Grunt and the endless problems he'd caused her in his youth.

There had been no conversations with old members of the crew either, Liara had noticed, it seemed that being surrounded by living people again had driven the dead away. She couldn't pretend not to be happy about that, and a little relieved.

With each day that passed Jules seemed to relax a little and her eyes gleamed with a little more life. Liara could tell that some small, rebellious part of her was warming to the idea of returning to civilisation.

Then the twelve day journey ended as they entered the Sol System and all of a sudden the whole thing started to seem a bit more real.

…

Earth.

Jules tried not to display any reaction as she gazed down at her home world through the windows of the mess. She hadn't been born there, she hadn't grown up there and for the majority of her life she hadn't lived there.

And yet, as the planet came into view, she couldn't help but feel a sting of emotion behind her eyes and she knew the audible hitch of her breath didn't go unnoticed by the asari standing around her.

It looked like Earth. Exactly like Earth.

For a long time after the war Earth had been unrecognisable, an orange and black hell as fires still ravaged its surface. Then the orange had faded to a charred grey and it had become a cold wasteland. Ash had filled the skies, blocking out the sun for nearly a year and the seas had washed up debris with every tide.

The pollution from the war had faded over time but it had still been evident even when Jules and Liara had left and from orbit the planet had still appeared largely barren.

But now Earth was blue and white with patches of green and yellow sporadically visible beneath the swirling clouds. The oceans were vivid and vibrant and the air was clear. All in all it looked healthy. And exactly like Earth.

"Welcome home, Shepard," Egret's comment didn't help matters and Jules very quickly had to turn away and clear her throat before she could respond.

"So," she began, trying to sound nonchalant despite the quiver in her voice, "this is where Tevos built her headquarters?"

It was Adarna who answered her, standing tall and calm with her hands clasped neatly behind her back.

"Where else? Earth is no longer the human home world, Shepard. It's the galactic capital, the centre of civilisation. This is where the final battle was won against the reapers, where the survivors of the fleet and the armies came together to rebuild. Every race working together in harmony to restore what had been lost."

"Harmony, huh?" Jules raised an eyebrow, "I remember years of hardship, grief and petty bickering before we managed to restore anything resembling civilisation."

"But you got there in the end," Doctor T'Carra chipped in cheerfully, "Earth has the most diverse population of anywhere in the galaxy now, the HTA was founded here and the new world followed. These days Earth is a symbol, as much as the Citadel ever was."

Perhaps it was apt that Earth had taken on the Citadel's role, Jules mused. After all, it was the Citadel's wreckage that had provided many of the materials they had needed to start rebuilding Earth's cities. They had stripped the ancient station apart until there was nothing left of it and found a use for every scrap.

Those days had been rough. There had been a lot of pain and hopelessness, a lot of non-humans found themselves stranded far away from their home worlds while humanity had to come to terms with how much had been lost on Earth.

Some hadn't been able to cope with the trauma and there had been little in the way of any support networks to pick up the ones who fell behind. There had been days when even she had thought there would never be an end, when she had wondered why she had fought so hard for life.

" _We're beginning our descent,"_ Ereba's voice came over the comm and Jules felt a pang of something again.

 _This is ridiculous!_ She thought angrily, _get a grip of yourself!_

As she became increasingly uncomfortable, she felt Liara sidle up beside her and their knuckles brushed briefly. It was a small show of support, subtle and understated and yet Jules saw every asari in the room clock it before looking away and pretending to be interested in something else.

It seemed that the asari were still eagle-eyed when it came to that sort of thing. She had already overheard two of them whispering about how they had seen Liara coming out of Jules' room while her own bed hadn't been slept in for the whole journey.

The thought calmed her and a small smile spread on her lips as she realised she was still gossip worthy. She turned her head to give Liara a small nod and a wink and then looked back to the windows as the ship descended through Earth's atmosphere.

…

The ocean sparkled as the ship passed over it, as though a thousand diamonds were floating across its surface, dazzling as the sunlight touched them. The city they were headed towards was built onto a jagged coastline that jutted out into the sea; tall silver spires reached up into the sky, gleaming in the sunlight and a vast quayside was built right along the seafront where ships and yachts were moored.

Jules honestly didn't recognise where on Earth they were, but she didn't suppose it mattered. Many places had lost their old Earth names after the war as they were built on and renamed by the survivors who had happened to find themselves there.

New countries, regions and cities had emerged and with them came new traditions and customs. But in amongst the chaos of the rebuilding much of Earth's old cultures and history had been forgotten; or at the very least misremembered. Jules had never quite worked out how she should feel about that.

"What's this city called?" she asked Adarna as they passed smoothly over the quay towards a docking port further into the city.

"Rinoka," the stately asari replied as she once again clasped her hands behind her back.

"That sounds salarian."

"Yes. It was founded by a salarian STG unit who were deployed to fight the reapers along this coastline during the final battle. After the Crucible fired, they gathered together all the survivors from a hundred miles and built a settlement here. It was just a small village back then."

Jules remained quiet as the ship hovered and then gently lowered itself onto a round landing pad. She knew there were plenty of similar stories behind many of the new cities on Earth and indeed across the galaxy.

As the ship landed, Jules quickly realised that Adarna was right, Earth wasn't the human home world anymore.

As she gazed out of the windows at the bustling streets beyond the port, she saw very little that reminded her of old Earth. The architecture was impressive but not noticeably human in design, in fact Jules didn't recognise it as any type of design, like everything else it had evolved here in the aftermath of the war.

There was a whole throng of people moving about the city and humans were by no means in the majority. Instead they were simply one race among dozens who called this planet their home. T'Carra was right too, it did feel more like the Citadel.

Not everything had changed since the war, however. The docking port itself was crowded with hundreds of people all being held back by security guards, many of them had cameras and were talking urgently into communicators.

Journalists. Jules realised with no small amount of distaste. She would recognise them anywhere.

Of course, a large number of the crowd were simply curious spectators, some watching on quietly while others clambered over them to get the best view.

"I guess they know it's us then," Jules muttered, briefly locking eyes with Liara whose discomfort showed only as a slight pursing of her lips.

"There have been rumours for months that Tevos was searching for you," Adarna commented, "it won't have taken long for the news to get out."

 _Particularly if it was widely broadcast for the purposes of publicity,_ Jules mused irritably but she didn't say anything, she had learned a long time ago that it was best not to jump to conclusions, however likely they might seem.

"What do people make of Tevos' mission?" Jules asked as she eyed the crowd, she presumed the ship's windows must have been tinted from the other side as no one was looking at them, instead every camera was pointed towards the outer door as they waited for them to emerge, "Is it widely known about?"

"Relatively," Adarna agreed, "it's not been taken very seriously in the media though. People say that it's a fool's errand."

"Wonderful," Jules muttered, "Always been good at attracting lost causes, haven't I?"

"You're even better at winning them," T'Carra said, throwing Jules a smile, "why do you think we've spent the last eight months looking for you?"

The door opened behind them and they all turned to see Grunt standing there, his bulking figure filling the doorway, "Ready Shepard?" he asked bluntly, "The longer we leave them waiting the rowdier they'll get."

Jules looked at Liara, who sighed softly and nodded, "No point in putting it off then, let's go."

…

Grunt and Adarna led the way out of the airlock while the rest of the crew followed. Jules had Liara on her right and Ereba on her left, Doctor T'Carra took Liara's other side and they were flanked by at least a dozen more asari so they were well shielded from the crowd. But that didn't stop the clamour of voices reaching them as they made their way slowly through the path the docking port security guards had cleared for them.

Reporters were screaming questions that went unheard amongst the noise while eager spectators tried to push their way to the front. A glare from Grunt was enough to discourage some of them while others were being held by the line of calm security guards and all the while Grunt and Adarna led the procession at a leisurely place, refusing to appear in any way flustered by the situation.

Liara was walking calmly with her head down as though she was completely oblivious to her surroundings. Outwardly she was showing no signs of discomfort but Jules knew better.

Jules herself decided to ignore the chaos and instead focussed on the fresh air. It had been a long time since she had actually set foot on a planet and breathed oxygen than wasn't stale and recycled. The climate was warm but there was a cool, salty breeze coming off the sea that invigorated her as she breathed it in and made her smile.

It seemed to be some time before noon and the day was dry and bright. Looking up into the sky she saw clean, white clouds and that perfect shade of blue that only Earth's sky seemed to have. She hadn't realised how much she had missed it until now.

A few repeated chants reached Jules' ears over the noise and she turned her head to see a group of people at the back of the crowd. They seemed to have climbed on top of a pile of crates to make themselves seen and were holding signs that she couldn't quite make out.

As Jules listened to what they were chanting she heard things like, 'liars!' and 'fake!' being shouted repeatedly.

"Who are they?" she asked Ereba, leaning in close to make herself heard.

The asari followed her gaze, "Truthseekers," she replied casually, then as she saw Jules' frown she added: "conspiracy theorists. They think the Reaper War never happened."

Jules blinked, "You have got to be kidding me."

Ereba just smiled and shrugged, "There have been a lot of fake Shepards and Liaras over the years you've been gone, they probably think you're just another hoax."

That would account for why much of the crowd almost seemed more like a protest than a simple media gathering, Jules reasoned with a frown, "Thinking _I'm_ a hoax is one thing but the entire war?"

Again Ereba merely shrugged, "I wouldn't worry. People don't tend to take them too seriously."

It was with great relief that the small group eventually emerged indoors, into the lobby of the docking port where they were sheltered from the cameras and the noise; but through a set of glass double doors Jules could see more press waiting for them in the street outside.

"Even after a hundred years away, you can still draw a crowd, Shepard," Grunt chuckled, turning to throw her a grin.

"That's what happens when you save the galaxy," Ereba agreed with a smile.

"Yeah," Jules muttered, "I knew that would come back to bite me one day."

Adarna was over at the reception desk, apparently dealing with procedures, protocols and the other necessary red tape for their arrival while the others milled around, chatting and fidgeting and forever keeping one eye on the cameras that awaited them outside.

"Tevos' headquarters is just down the road," Grunt said as he and Egret waited beside Liara and Jules, "still it's probably best we take a car, easier not to get mobbed that way."

"Urgh," Liara groaned, placing a hand to her forehead. Jules smiled at her sympathetically.

"Well, if Tevos does want us just for the publicity, it seems to be working."

"Regrettably," the asari agreed through gritted teeth.

"Wait, who did you say?" their attention was drawn by a very confused salarian voice and they looked over to see it was the receptionist Adarna was dealing with.

"Juliet Shepard and Liara T'Soni," she repeated in the tone of someone who knew fine well that they had been heard right the first time.

"This is a joke right?" the salarian argued sceptically, "Liara and Shepard aren't real, they're just a story," Jules had to admire the guts it took to talk so condescendingly to someone who was at least seven-hundred years older than you – though she suspected it may actually have been ignorance that was motivating the young man as Adarna narrowed her eyes calmly and pursed her lips before she answered.

"I assure you they are both perfectly real and quite corporeal, therefore they need entry visas to the city, if you would be so kind."

"Listen," he said, folding his arms, "you might be able to stir the press up with bullshit like this but we don't issue visas to made-up heroes from crappy kids' stories."

"Oi! Come over here and call me that!" Jules shouted, drawing a look of further incredulity from the salarian as he frowned at her. She waved and threw him a cocky grin that made Grunt and several of the asari chuckle quietly.

"Thank you Shepard," Adarna called to her calmly, "I am handling this," she turned back to the salarian, seeming to tower over him despite being an inch or two shorter, "if you check, you should find that their arrival has already been cleared by Matriarch Tevos."

"She's right," a young human woman said from behind the desk before the salarian could respond. She was staring at the screen of her computer with an expression of similar disbelief and then glanced over towards Jules and Liara, "says here it's been approved."

As the salarian leaned over her chair to see, his large eyes only narrowed further before he cast Jules an almost contemptuous scowl, "HTA will believe anything, won't they?" he muttered, "Fine. Give them their visas."

"Can we expect such a warm welcome everywhere?" Jules muttered as the argument ended and murmured conversation again filled the room. Beside her, Grunt just smiled and shrugged.

"You disappeared for a century, Shepard. People have lived and died in that time."

"Even I was born after you'd gone," Egret agreed softly, "to some of us you've only ever been a story."

"And to the salarians a hundred years ago is like ancient history," Grunt laughed but Jules didn't feel like joining in, this may have been Earth but she was feeling less and less at home with each passing second.

The car journey was short and swift, offering little of a view of the city beyond the tall, mirror-like buildings that loomed over them. When they stepped out of the car it was into the shade of a towering skyscraper and the sea breeze put a chill in the air that made Jules shudder irritably. She had only just gotten used to being warm again.

They were led into a large foyer where several dozen people – mostly asari – were striding with intent between office doors and elevators, shoes clacked on the tiled floor and every word uttered echoed around the high ceiling, meaning most of the conversations in the room were being murmured in low voices.

There was a long, high reception desk curved into the shape of a crescent moon where eight asari staff were working at consoles and on the wall above it large, polished letters read: Project Thessia.

"Imaginative naming," Jules muttered, earning her a small smile from Liara.

There was no welcoming committee – which Jules was actually quite grateful for – but as they entered, a hush settled on the room and the eight receptionists stopped their work to watch calmly as Adarna led them forwards.

"Would you inform Matriarch Tevos that we've arrived?" Adarna instructed one of them who merely nodded in response as her shimmering eyes lingered on Jules and Liara, then moved smoothly to her console. Adarna didn't wait for any kind of confirmation as she swiftly led them over to one of the elevators.

Jules, Liara, Grunt, Egret and Ereba joined her and Grunt's presence in particular made the ride cramped. Even so Liara seemed to be standing closer to Jules than was necessary and she felt the warmth of the asari's shoulder pressing against her own. Liara wasn't fond of small spaces and Jules noticed that she had her eyes closed.

No one said anything as they climbed steadily through over twenty floors until eventually the doors opened and they stepped out into a large, open-plan office.

It seemed their arrival here was anticipated, there were numerous asari sitting behind desks and computers but none were working or speaking. Instead all eyes were on them and the whole office was strangely quiet.

On the far side of the room, a pair of metal double-doors opened and Jules' eyes narrowed.

Councillor – or perhaps 'Matriarch' these days – Tevos emerged in a long, close fitting dress of silver and blue that trailed softly along the floor behind her and seemed to shimmer as she walked. It was buttoned up to the neck and the sleeves extended so far they half-covered her hands; the long hem hid her feet and it would have been impossible to tell what kind of shoes she was wearing were it not for the definite clack of a heel each time she took a slow step forward.

Her silver eyes glimmered like the silk of her dress and the severe white markings around her face resembled tiger stripes and didn't soften even as she smiled. The asari had changed so little in appearance since the war that Jules briefly wondered if she was having flashbacks.

Tevos was still several feet away when she came to a stop.

"Juliet," she greeted her gently, her voice and manner hadn't changed at all in two centuries, "I'm so pleased you could join us."

For a moment Jules said nothing, instead folding her arms as she glanced around at her companions.

"Juliet?" she repeated, raising both eyebrows, "Funny. I don't remember us ever being on first name terms."

The smile faded a little but not completely, "I can address you as Shepard, if you would prefer."

"I would," Jules confirmed through gritted teeth.

"Very well," she kept her tone pleasant and a brief but uncomfortable silence followed.

"I gather you've gained the title of matriarch," Jules commented, "congratulations."

"Thank you," Tevos replied graciously, "it perhaps doesn't carry the same weight as it used to in the galaxy but, nevertheless…" she trailed off and cast a glance around at their audience, all of whom were watching attentively, "perhaps we should speak in private, Shepard. Liara can remain here, I'm sure someone will be willing to show her around our operation while you and I discuss certain matters."

Jules narrowed her eyes. The way Tevos talked as though Liara wasn't standing right in front of her was both irritating and insulting and she would have been perfectly prepared to tell Tevos as much. But as she caught Liara's eye, the asari gave her a meaningful look and a nod.

"Fine," Jules conceded, "lead the way."

Despite Tevos' use of the word 'private' she gestured for Adarna to follow them as she led Jules through the room to her office, reached through the elegant pair of doors Tevos had emerged from. As Jules entered the plush room she saw that Adarna wasn't the only asari with an invite.

Sitting stretched out on a corner sofa beneath a wide window, Jules was both surprised and slightly confused to find Aria lounging lazily with a glass of wine in one hand.

Jules stopped so abruptly at the sight of her that Adarna walked straight into the back of her, briefly disrupting the asari's usual grace and causing Aria to smirk slightly.

"Hello Shepard. Good journey?" she asked innocently, as though oblivious to the dumbstruck look on Jules' face even though Jules sensed that she was enjoying it immensely.

"I thought you were on Omega?" was all she managed to blurt out angrily as Adarna recovered her dignity, cleared her throat and stepped past Jules into the room.

Aria merely smiled, "Did I actually _say_ that?"

Jules glared, "You as good as implied it! You two-faced little…" she trailed off, biting her tongue as she came dangerously close to sounding like a petulant child again.

"Have you two been in contact?" Tevos had been halfway through sitting behind her desk when she paused to eye Aria suspiciously.

"You didn't know?" Jules shot her a look, "What's she doing here anyway?"

Tevos hesitated and then finally sat and answered the question as though there was nothing strange about it, "Aria is one of our largest donators."

"Really?" Jules made a face, "I can't wait to hear how that came about."

"I'm sure we would be all too happy to furnish you with a full history of the project," Adarna replied pleasantly and Jules turned to see her smiling without warmth, "but I imagine you have more pressing questions for us."

Jules realised suddenly that she was neatly surrounded by the three of them and, judging by the suspicious glances Tevos was throwing Aria and the downright venomous glare Aria was giving Adarna, she got the feeling she was also standing right in the middle of a war zone.

She had no doubt that there were three separate agendas in that room, and no doubt that she was being sized up as a pawn in each of them. She had willing walked right into a trap, she realised with a sigh.

But she couldn't deny her own curiosity so she pulled back the chair that Tevos indicated to and sat, her arms folded.

She looked straight into Tevos' silk coloured eyes while remaining very aware of Adarna standing behind her and Aria lounging off to her left, just within her peripheral vision. She wondered if any of them was an ally.

"Alright," she began, "tell me exactly what this project of yours is going to entail. You say you want to 'reclaim' Thessia but no one's told me what that actually means. Are you just planning to turn up with colonists and rebuilding supplies or is there more to it."

Tevos and Adarna exchanged a glance while Aria sniggered loudly, "Fuck. You really are out-of-touch with the galaxy, aren't you Shepard?"

Tevos shot her a glare which, surprisingly, quietened her.

"Okay," Jules muttered, "enlighten me. What have I missed?"

Tevos took a moment before she spoke, leaning back to gaze out of the window at the city. Beyond the skyscrapers, rolling green hills could be seen where the suburbs petered out into smaller villages and farmland.

"You know that asari space was the last to become accessible again through the relays?" she asked softly, "The HTA were trying to build new colonies and cities to accommodate the survivors of the war and expanding too far out too quickly would have been counterproductive. By the time new colonies were founded there were often limited resources left for repairing the relays so expansion was slow. The relay in the Athena Nebula wasn't repaired until over one hundred years after the war. I believe you had already left by then?"

"Yes," Jules agreed.

She remembered that repairing the relays had been slow work, eezo in particular had been in short supply and the amount required to repair even one relay was phenomenal. Being reaper tech, the mass relays had been hit far worse by the Crucible than most other technology and it had quickly become apparent that fixing them was no small task.

As far as Jules recalled, asari space had not been a priority and various setbacks and political disputes had only lengthened the process.

"But it's not like Thessia couldn't be reached before that. You could probably get from the Serpent Nebula to the Athena Nebula in about… four months at FTL. You could get there from here within a year."

"True," Tevos allowed, "and some even did. But in the aftermath of the war, the HTA's focus was on Earth and Palaven and when they did expand they took their aid to colonies across the Traverse. Aria meanwhile was controlling the Terminus and the quarians were expanding on the Far Rim. In short, there was no one to bring law and order to asari space."

Jules frowned, "Were there many people left in asari space though? Most were evacuated during the war weren't they?"

"No," Adarna cut in, "most were killed. But you're right, the majority of the survivors were evacuated to the Citadel or colonies outside of asari space. Not _all_ however."

"There were groups of colonists who decided to stay and rebuild," Tevos agreed, "and they weren't all asari. There were several turian and salarian mining operations on various colonies and the surviving staff were ordered to stay even after the reapers attacked. They found themselves completely cut off from the galaxy after the Crucible fired. The survivors banded together to survive in the aftermath, those bands became factions and those factions fought over the few resources they had access to."

"Survival of the fittest," Jules mused grimly, "I saw a lot of that after the war… it doesn't always bring out the best in people."

"Indeed," Tevos agreed, "I'm sorry to say that asari space has become lawless. There was no one there to impose order and now gangs rule."

Jules frowned softly, "This must have started before Liara and I left. Why did I never hear about it?"

"Perhaps you never thought to ask," Aria suggested with a smile so icy it stung, though it was no sharper than the look Tevos used to silence her again.

"The HTA made sure it wasn't widely publicised. They had limited resources and so they only gave media attention to the places they could actually afford to send aid. It was a reasonable tactic, not one that I begrudge them for."

Jules grimaced and looked away, once again glad that she would never understand politicians.

"The situation in asari space has only gotten worse in recent years," Adarna continued, bringing them back to the matter at hand, "now that the HTA is expanding into the Terminus, many of the gangs and smugglers that operate in that region are finding themselves displaced," Jules heard an irritated growl from Aria's direction and couldn't resist throwing her a smirk, "they naturally have to move their operations somewhere."

"And asari space is the most attractive option," Jules nodded, "funny how lawlessness tends to attract criminals, isn't it? You would think it would work the other way around."

"Asari space is a war zone," Adarna agreed coolly, "if we don't do something now it will only get worse."

"And you're planning to go into this war zone in four unarmed ships?" Jules queried, remembering what Grunt had told her.

Both Adarna and Tevos shifted uncomfortably while Aria grunted as though half amused and half irritated at the same time.

"Our ships are equipped with stealth technology not unlike the Normandy was, and they are manoeuvrable enough to be able to evade most weapons fire," Tevos told her, though even she didn't seem terribly convinced.

"You're planning on defeating lawless pirates with… stealth?"

Another look was exchanged between Tevos and Adarna and Tevos nodded at some unspoken consensus, "We're operating under HTA restrictions. They don't want to us to cause a diplomatic incident with the factions in asari space by sending an armed fleet into their midst."

Jules raised an eyebrow, "They don't want to offend the criminals?"

"It would seem so. In truth, Shepard, we can't be sure whether this mission will be one of diplomacy or aggression. We have no way of knowing how much power the factions hold and whether they can be negotiated with."

"So this is a scout mission?"

"For want of a better term, yes."

Jules considered her for a while, "Are there actually people on Thessia itself?"

"Possibly. It's hard to know for sure. The HTA restricts travel to asari space for people's own safety therefore there aren't many accurate reports about the current situation there."

"If there _are_ people living there it's probably complicated matters for them," Aria muttered dryly, her voice betraying no emotion as she stared down into her wine glass, "Thessia is a dangerous place for non-asari."

Jules shot her a look, "How d'you mean?"

She caught her eye and smiled as though it should surely have been obvious, "It's all that eezo, Shepard. Thessia breathes element zero, it's in the air, it's in the water, in the soil, the plant life, the food."

"All life native to Thessia either possesses biotic powers or is element zero resistant," Adarna agreed, "it's necessary for survival."

"You know the kind of affects element zero can have on non-asari," Aria continued, "of all the unborn humans ever exposed to eezo how many actually survived to become biotics like you? Less than half wasn't it? The rest of them developed fatal cancer and died before they were even born."

"And the concentration of eezo on Thessia is significantly higher than most exposures elsewhere," Tevos agreed, "it's unlikely any alien child conceived there could actually make it to birth and any non-biotics who spend time there would eventually suffer health problems, even death."

"That's why our laws for aliens visiting Thessia were always so strict," Adarna explained, "there were some places we restricted completely because the element zero levels were so high. Everybody believed that it was just asari superiority, that we were hiding secrets from the galaxy."

"A reasonable assumption," Jules muttered, casting Tevos a dark look.

"But a misguided one. Spending too long on Thessia can be a death sentence to someone without biotic resistance."

"And you wonder why the HTA didn't waste their resources trying to repopulate it?"

"No," Tevos replied bluntly, "I don't. But I am not the HTA. I am the closest thing the asari people have to a representative in this new galaxy and – although I have failed them in the past – I am trying to give them a voice again. And a home," she paused and leaned forward, "will you help me?"

"Help you?" Jules pursed her lips and waited a moment before she spoke, "The sad fact is, that while Earth falls, we have time to ready our own defences… do you remember those words Tevos? The words you told me when I went to you for help? Because I hear them in my sleep. Or what about when I asked for help against the Collectors and you couldn't associate with me because of Cerberus? Or when I told you that Saren was planning the return of the reapers and you dismissed me as a gullible mad woman? Tevos, every time I have ever gone to you for help you have turned me away and that was when the galaxy itself was at stake. Now you expect _me_ to help _you_ on some personal crusade?"

There was a pause and for a moment Tevos seemed to flinch, perhaps because the look Aria was giving her was – interestingly – almost as accusing as the one Jules was.

"We did help you in the end."

"Yeah, when you thought that _I_ could help _you._ Do you have _any_ idea how many more lives could have been saved if the asari had joined the war earlier? But no, you were too busy covering up your secrets for fear it would harm the asari's influence, trying to protect your precious matriarchs and for what? They all died when Thessia fell anyway!"

Tevos blinked. Somewhere behind those silk coloured eyes Jules knew she had hit a nerve but she also knew Tevos was never going to admit it so easily.

After a moment the asari cleared her throat, "I'm assuming you didn't agree to come all this way simply to air you feelings, Shepard. If I explain why I'm embarking on this mission, will you hear me out at least?"

Jules felt her face harden, it was clear Tevos wasn't even going to dignify her outburst with a response. But despite the anger that provoked, Jules conceded with a nod.

"Do you remember life before the war, Shepard?"

"Of course I do," Jules replied, it seemed a ridiculous question.

"Does it seem a long time ago to you? Or could it have been yesterday?" when Jules didn't reply, Tevos looked back at her and smiled faintly, "Forgive me. No human has ever lived as long as you have and I wonder if your perception of time is now similar to ours. Although you are still young by asari standards, the time before the Reaper War was only a small fraction of your lifetime."

"Does that matter? We both lived through the same thing."

"Perhaps. But I'm nearly one thousand years old, Shepard. Two hundred years is really not so long. When I think of my life, I think of the galaxy the way it was before the reapers came but now that world is gone. Now turians and krogan are allies rather than enemies, the quarians are one of the richest races in the galaxy and Tuchanka is fast become the cultural capital of the Milky Way. And we, once the political masterminds of the galaxy, live off the charity of the other races with no government, no economy and no planet of our own."

"You have to change with the times," Jules mused dryly.

"So the young ones tell us. It wasn't something we ever had to deal with before the war, times changed around us and we stayed the same despite it all. Thessia was our constant."

"I suppose that was easy to sustain when you controlled galactic politics."

"Indeed. But now we don't, instead we get tossed around by the decisions of others but we can't live in sync with the rest of the galaxy when we outlive it so rapidly. Young asari are watching their childhood friends grow old and die before they themselves have even reached adulthood. Before, when our alien friends or bondmates died and we were left to start another new life without them we would return home, to the place where nothing had changed and we could ground ourselves in the knowledge that while nothing else was certain, Thessia would always be there. But now Thessia is gone and we have nowhere to shelter ourselves, instead we must remain trapped in the ever changing world, watching the cycle repeat over and over, finding love and stability and losing it every time. Knowing that whenever we witness the start of something we will probably live to see its end. The new generation are still too young to know how much that hurts but you do, don't you Juliet? Isn't that why you ran? Cut yourself off from the shifting tides of the galaxy before they could hurt you anymore?"

Jules shifted in her chair, choosing to ignore Tevos' use of her name as she was sure it had been a deliberate tactic, "Maybe. In part. I'm not sure I know to be honest."

"Thessia was our strength. Simply knowing it was there was enough to grant us the patience and wisdom that we relied on. We need it back."

Jules hesitated, shifting her gaze out towards the city as she thought about it. It could be surprisingly hard to make a decision with three set of eyes on you but she somehow suspected that stalling them wasn't an option.

Part of her wanted to tell Tevos where to go; an irrational, bitter part of her perhaps but she was still tempted by it. There was no doubt that Tevos' actions during the war had prolonged it, and inevitably cost more lives. It was also inevitable that there was more going on here than she had been made aware of, she was particularly suspicious of Aria's motives. Although, interestingly, Tevos seemed just as wary of her. She couldn't decide if that was a good sign or not.

She eventually decided that the best way to go about this was to take her feelings about Tevos and Aria out of the equation, then what was she left with? A lawless corner of space in need of rehabilitation and a race desperately trying to reclaim their home.

"Oh look at her," Aria said suddenly as Jules continued to gaze distractedly out at the city. She turned now to look at the asari who was lounging lazily with a smirk on her lips, "a mission across space to liberate an ancient world overrun by crime. Gangs, criminals and all the odds stacked against us, she can't help herself. She couldn't say no even if she wanted to."

"Quiet, Aria," Tevos commanded like a disapproving mother and Aria sighed but shut up all the same. That must have been the third time Jules had seen the asari yield to Tevos' command. She found that strange too.

"Shepard?" Tevos was looking at her again, pressing for an answer.

With three sets of asari eyes boring into her, Jules sighed in defeat, "I can't say no," she admitted though as she saw a sigh of relief escape Tevos' body she cast the matriarch a cold look, "but that doesn't mean I can say yes… not yet. I need to know more about your operation, I need to more about your plans and I also need to know how you're planning to drag Liara into this. I can't speak on her behalf and I won't make a decision without her. Do you understand?"

Tevos seemed slightly surprised but at least relieved that she wasn't receiving a flat out 'no' so she nodded, "Of course. We have accommodation for many of our staff here in the building, I've had two rooms made up for Liara and yourself, unless you had other plans?"

Jules snorted, well aware that she had no money, no friends and nowhere else to go, "No Tevos, I didn't have other plans."

"Good. I'll have someone show you-"

"I'll find my way," Jules interrupted, standing as she felt a sudden desire to be out of that room, "I won't try to escape, I promise."

"Shepard!" as she wandered casually to the door, Tevos' shout stopped her and she turned to look at the matriarch expectantly, "I've arranged several interviews with the press for you, starting in the morning."

Jules paused, "Jesus. You know how to push you luck don't you?"

Tevos seemed to shrug, "They'll want to talk to you anyway. At least this way I have a degree of control over them. It's better than being mobbed in the street."

Jules narrowed her eyes but gave no answer as she turned on her heel and left, briefly cursing the mess she seemed to have gotten herself into.

…

As Shepard left the room, Tevos turned to eye Aria closely. The asari met her gaze without flinching and stared her down so coldly Tevos could almost believe she was the one being scrutinised.

"What?" Aria asked eventually, her soft voice laced with ice.

"Why did you contact Shepard? Especially since you knew Grunt was already on his way to her."

She shrugged carelessly, turning away to take a mouthful of wine, "I thought that if the idea was already in her head she would come around more easily when Grunt showed up. That's all."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Lilac blue eyes turned on her again, soft and piercing at the same time, "Do I have to tell you everything?"

"You're not on Omega now, Aria."

"Hmph," she snorted into her wine before draining the glass and slamming it down, "I'm painfully aware of that, don't worry."

She stood and sauntered out of the room and Tevos let her go, watching with a thoughtful frown.

"What's wrong?" Adarna asked after the door had closed and Tevos turned to consider her.

"Aria never showed any interest in reclaiming Thessia, even when she started backing the project she gave me as few resources as she could get away with. Until I mentioned I was searching for Shepard. Then she practically threw money at me."

Adarna's eyes narrowed a little, "Why?"

Tevos just shook her head, she had no idea what Aria was up to but she had a feeling her motives wouldn't be for the good of the asari people, "Keep an eye on her."

"Aria?" Adarna asked, "Or Shepard?"

"Both."


	6. Trust

_Chapter Six - Trust_

The moment Jules had been led away to Tevos' office, Liara had found herself confronted with Egret; her dark purple eyes had glittered with enthusiasm as she offered herself up as a tour guide around the headquarters and Liara had found herself obliged to accept – if only to get away from the curious stares of the office workers.

She had quickly learned that Egret was a talkative one. She was speaking constantly as she led Liara through rooms and corridors, leaving little space between sentences as she jumped seamlessly from one topic to another.

This was a talent Liara had never quite been able to comprehend. How was it possible to find so much to say without running out of words? And why was it necessary to use so many words to convey something that could probably be said in a single sentence?

It certainly wasn't an ability she had any desire for herself, she found polite conversation far too tiresome to ever want to prolong it.

Luckily, the constant stream of information Egret was providing left very little need for any input on her part and she mostly followed her guide in silence, her brain subconsciously filtering out all the unimportant details as she closely scrutinised every room she was shown.

Tevos had certainly built up an impressive operation, there was no doubt about that. Somewhere in Egret's torrent Liara registered that there were over ten-thousand employees in this building alone and more working outside of it.

At first she was shown offices and conference rooms where all the day-to-day tasks were being taken care of, but as they moved closer to the heart of the operation the offices came to resemble command centres and the work looked far more serious.

In some rooms simulations were being run, or statistics were being studied. Diagrams and schematics lined the walls and screens displayed streams of data while groups of analysts frowned, muttered and swapped datapads.

The one time Egret fell silent was when they lingered at the back of a room and listened to an asari lecturing several employees about HTA restrictions that were being imposed on them and how they could best work around it.

That got Liara thinking. Back when she and Jules had first founded the HTA it had simply been a way to control rations, distribute aid and keep the peace in a war-torn galaxy. Now it seemed as though they were a kind of galactic government. They made laws, controlled trade, kept order and – from what Liara could tell – held influence across most of the galaxy.

It also seemed that they were fairly keen to keep people _out_ of asari space.

They moved on from the lecture and found yet more rooms where the colonisation itself was being planned, a task which seemed to mostly revolve around facts, figures, and guesswork.

The staff were running predictive programs to try and work out how fertile Thessia's land would be, how badly the war might have impacted its surface and which areas would be best for recolonization.

Once they had guessed their way through that they had to calculate how many people to send, what supplies to take, how many ships should make up the first expedition.

Liara was particularly surprised to discover that all of these estimates were being done with no more information than long range scans and pre-war records to determine the state of Thessia. It seemed that in two hundred years this was to be the first scout expedition to the Athena Nebula – at least the first official one. She found that bizarre.

She might have asked about it, but Egret had still yet to pause for breath and, more importantly, Liara was becoming increasingly aware that she was being closely watched by everyone who saw her.

Every room they entered contained another audience who would instantly stop and stare though few of them actually spoke to her. Some carried the same awe and excitement in their faces as Grunt's crew had but most actually seemed suspicious, or even downright hostile.

It seemed her presence wasn't welcomed by everyone and she decided it was perhaps better to say as little as possible for now.

As Egret led her further through the building, they came to departments that were devoted to raising the funds to accomplish it all. There also seemed to be a lot of jumping through hoops, dealing with red tape and being engaged in constant negotiations with suppliers, companies and the authorities – the HTA in particular.

Most people wouldn't have envied the task, but Liara couldn't deny the prickle of excitement she felt at the challenge ahead of them. In many ways the operation reminded her of her time as the Shadow Broker, collecting data, coordinating tasks, calculating figures.

Of course the advantage of Shadow Broker work had been that it was all done through agents, meaning she rarely had to speak to anyone in person and there were no busy offices full of workers to contend with.

Even so, there was something intoxicating about watching Tevos' plans coming together, this was clearly the result of decades of work.

"Next there's the ship designers," Egret was saying as she led Liara down yet another clean corridor. Liara was only half listening as she watched two other asari pass, both murmuring something as they eyed her strangely.

"They designed our four flagships, including the Armali. They're still making adjustments and improvements."

"Are there any plans for when Tevos' expedition will leave?" Liara asked, finally managing to break through a gap in Egret's blethering. The young asari stopped and turned, opened her mouth expectantly and then closed it again. She was apparently completely unprepared for actually being asked anything.

"Erm," she began, "I think… obviously Tevos doesn't tell me of her plans but, well… I think she's waiting for certain… facts to be confirmed before…"

"She's waiting for Shepard's answer isn't she?" Liara cut in bluntly and Egret seemed to blush slightly and turned away. She took a moment to glance around the now empty corridor and then took a step closer and continued in a hushed voice.

"People further up the chain of command than me have been saying that we were ready to leave months ago. But then Tevos put everything on hold until we found you. Supposedly it pissed Adarna right off, she thought finding you was a waste of time."

"Really?" Liara murmured, "So the bosses are arguing, that's never a good sign."

A rush of blue coloured Egret's cheeks and she winced suddenly as though in pain, "Shit. You should probably forget I told you that. It's likely just gossip."

"I'm sure," Liara agreed, though gossip like that didn't tend to come from it was a good thing Egret was such a chatterbox, who knew what else she might let slip.

Her attention was suddenly drawn by muffled shouting and she glanced over to the nearest window where she could see people gathered on the street outside. These were not the journalists they had seen earlier however, instead they were holding plaques and banners with slogans similar to the protesters at the docking port.

Curious, she made her way to the window and gazed down at them with mild interest. Egret came up beside her and sighed.

"Do they really believe the Reaper War didn't happen?" Liara asked her calmly.

Egret shrugged helplessly, "Who knows? Maybe they just want something to shout about. At least _some_ people really believe it though, there are loads of theories. Some think that the reapers were a benevolent machine race who the organics rebelled against and then changed history to cover themselves. Some think that the reapers never existed at all and they were invented to cover up some cataclysmic event, usually one they blame the asari for, since we were the most powerful race before the war. They particularly don't like Tevos because she spends so much time talking about how things were before the war. Then when she announced she was looking for you and Shepard… well…" she trailed off and gestured to the protesters with a sigh, "most of them don't believe you and Shepard ever existed."

"Our story does sound a little farfetched," Liara admitted, "I don't blame them for not wanting to believe in the reapers, there were plenty of people before the war who denied their existence too. Tevos was one of them."

"Is that why Jules doesn't like her?" Egret asked and Liara smiled a little.

"Our relationship with Tevos is an old and complicated one, one that risks opening up a lot of old wounds. It's not a case of not _liking_ her, Jules isn't sure whether we can trust her."

…

Jules was barely ten strides out of Tevos' office before she heard Aria's swift footsteps coming up behind her.

"Shepard, I need a word," the asari snapped as she overtook her and Jules paused only to sigh.

Aria led her through the open-plan office, drawing looks from the staff who all seemed careful to stay out of Aria's way. Jules practically jogged to keep up with her as she veered out through a door, into a corridor, up a flight of stairs and eventually came to a locked door with a key pad. Aria keyed in the code and the door swung open.

Jules stopped dead. For a split-second she could have sworn she had walked into Afterlife.

The lighting here was dark and tinged with red, forcing Jules to squint as her eyes adjusted. Club-like music was playing but it was turned down to the levels of background noise and two asari pole dancers were on a raised platform at the back of the room, already performing their routine as though they had known Aria was about to return. A white, square sofa was positioned in the corner with a good view of them.

It was no wonder Jules had believed Aria was on Omega. It didn't smell of alcohol and piss and there were no drunk batarians leering at her but apart from that it was a pretty good recreation.

Judging by the large double bed and the bathroom Jules could see through an open door, this was Aria's private room. She had also turned it into a private nightclub.

"I see you're adjusting to life on Earth well," Jules commented dryly as Aria gestured for her to sit.

"Everywhere else in this fucking place is too clean, don't you think?" Aria muttered as she also sat and settled back to observe the dancers. Jules didn't admit it, but she had been thinking the same thing.

They were silent for a while as Aria kept her eyes fixed on the movements of the dancers and Jules tried to work out why she had been brought here.

"So," Aria said after a time, "what's your first impression?"

Jules followed Aria's gaze questioningly and the asari looked away from the dancers to smirk slightly, "I meant the project. Do you think it's a bold idea or just the pipe dream of a tired old woman?"

Jules considered her carefully, "Not sure yet. Could be both."

"Could be neither," she agreed, "quite the conundrum isn't it?"

Jules didn't respond, "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

Aria smiled, "There's a lot 'going on' Shepard, and I doubt I know all of it. Care to be a bit more specific?"

"Why are you here?"

"To help reclaim my home world."

"Bullshit. Omega is your home and there's only one time I've ever known you to leave it – when Cerberus took it off you and gave you no other choice. Now, since Cerberus aren't around anymore, I'm guessing… the HTA?"

"Good guess," Aria barely batted an eyelid as she replied, her attention was still fixed on the two asari.

"Pretty obvious really," Jules shrugged, "if the HTA wants to expand into the Terminus it makes sense to take over Omega. How did they do it? Lure you away like Cerberus did?"

"Didn't have to. The HTA's fleet is so fucking huge they don't have to worry about being clever," Jules watched as Aria's fists clenched across the back of the sofa, "they were on us before we knew what was happening. We barely managed to put up a fight."

"How did you get out alive?"

"By letting a lot of other people die," the asari turned to look at her quite suddenly, her lilac eyes glowing dangerously in the din, "loyal people. People I'd known for years. You may not believe it but that pisses me off more than losing Omega."

Jules held her gaze calmly, "I believe it. But what are you doing _here_? If you're on the run from the HTA why come to the planet where they're based? Seems a bit risky."

She snorted grimly, "Tevos is here. I knew she had contacts in the HTA, people she was bribing or blackmailing, she'd never have got this project off the ground otherwise. I also knew she was desperate for funding. They may have taken Omega from me but I still had credits hidden away, enough to make it worth her while to help me. She cut a deal with the HTA, so long as I'm on the project they leave me alone."

"If you've got that much money couldn't you have gone on the run? Sounds like you're as much of a prisoner here as you would be in jail."

She clenched her teeth, grinding them together softly before she spoke, "You don't know how much influence the HTA has these days. Trust me, this was the better option."

"Well, well," Jules muttered, "how the mighty have fallen."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Aria's tone turned cold, "perhaps when you've lived a bit longer you'll learn the difference between failures and setbacks. There are advantages to having centuries to settle scores."

As calm as her voice was remaining, Jules saw her muscles tense and her mouth had curled into a snarl.

"Can I ask you something?" Jules said after a while.

"I'm sure you're going to anyway."

"Are you loyal to Tevos? Or are you just using her?"

"Hm. Interesting question. Any particular reason why you're asking?"

"She obviously doesn't trust you. Makes me wonder why she would help you, surely she didn't need the money that badly, she has other benefactors."

Aria snorted, "I don't know if you've noticed yet but Tevos is a laughing stock these days, she'll take support however she can get it, why the hell do you think you're here?"

"Me?"

"Oh don't look so surprised, Shepard. Do you really think Urdnot Wrex would have given Tevos any money if she hadn't told him she could find you? Most of her 'benefactors' didn't give her a penny until your name came up. You've been nothing but a legend for so long I think they were curious enough to humour her. Now you're actually here they might even start taking her seriously."

"So Liara was right, I'm a bargaining chip."

Aria shrugged, "Sure. But you have to admit, our chances of getting through this mission alive look a lot better now you're here, don't you think?"

"Is that why _you_ wanted me here?"

"In part. Mainly I wanted someone here who I could trust."

Jules almost choked, "Trust? What the hell makes you think you can trust me?"

"Because you haven't been here for the past hundred years. You're not loyal to anyone, you're not anyone's spy and you don't have an agenda. You're here for the same reason as me: you don't have anywhere else to go. Tevos and Adarna on the other hand…" she sucked her teeth irritably, "scheming old hags, the pair of them. Always talking about the need for the asari to reclaim our home world but there's more going on here, I'm sure of it."

"Why?"

She pursed her lips and waited for a while. The dancers were still gyrating to the steady rhythm of the music; the effect was more calming here than it had been in the crowded noise of Afterlife.

"Shepard," Aria said after a time, "why do you think the asari were the most powerful race before the war? How did we manage to hold on to the wealth and the power for so long?"

Jules shrugged, "Experience, wisdom, longevity of life."

"Resources," Aria corrected her, "think about it, who was the biggest exporter of element zero before the war?"

"Thessia," Jules replied without hesitation, it had been a well-known fact after all.

"Eighty-six percent of the galaxy's eezo was mined there," Aria agreed, "it was so fucking rare everywhere else. Even if you found another eezo deposit, it was expensive and dangerous to try and mine it and often there wasn't enough to make it worthwhile. But on Thessia you can't get moved for the stuff and we use it for everything, drive cores, biotic implants-"

"Toothbrushes," Jules agreed absently as her thoughts briefly drifted to Samantha Traynor.

"What?" she looked over to see Aria staring at her strangely.

"Toothbrushes. With tiny mass effect fields to break up… never mind."

Aria snorted, "Everyone needs eezo, Shepard, so everyone had to play nice with the asari, even I had to keep them sweet. That's why we were the most powerful race in the galaxy. If you control the eezo you control the wealth, if you control the wealth you control everything else. All that bullshit about wisdom and patience was just the matriarchs trying to make us seem more mysterious than we actually were. So, where do we get our eezo from now?"

Jules hesitated, "Well. We scavenge most of it I suppose, from wrecked ships and pre-war bases… dead reapers."

She remembered them stripping Harbinger and several of the other reapers apart to repair the Charon Relay. Most of the other eezo they had managed to salvage from the final battle had gone towards repairing drive cores and the like. Element zero shortages were one of the main reasons it had taken so long to restore the mass relay network.

She was starting to see where Aria was going with this.

"We're going to run out, aren't we?"

"We've been running out since the moment the Crucible fired."

"Mm, true," she agreed, "one of the main reasons we formed the HTA was to ration the eezo supplies. The three things people were killing each other over after the war were food, medicine and eezo."

"And there was Thessia, biggest source of element zero in the galaxy, sitting right next door. But what did the HTA do? They turned around and headed in the opposite direction, abandoned asari space and aided colonies across the Traverse instead."

"There were more people in the Traverse," Jules argued, "eezo wasn't going to stop those colonists starving to death and they didn't have the resources to do both."

"Not then maybe but now? You would think getting their hands on Thessia would be their priority but instead they're over in the Terminus with their hands all over _my_ operations. I've seen the size of their fleet, Shepard, they could take back the Athena Nebula as easily as they took Omega."

"So why don't they?"

"How the fuck should I know?" she hissed sharply, "But I do know this: if anyone gets their hands on Thessia now, it'll shift the balance of power across the whole galaxy. It would be like finding a freshwater spring in the middle of a drought, people might just start killing each other for a single drop."

"You're saying it could start a war?"

Aria shrugged, "It's already happening out in the Terminus. Eezo is the new red sand these days, gangs are massacring each other over it. Out here the HTA keeps a _tight_ control over where the eezo rations go, that's how they're so good at keeping order."

"If you control the eezo you control the galaxy," Jules repeated Aria's words thoughtfully, "so if anyone got their hands on Thessia and brought steady eezo supplies back onto the market-"

"All hell would break loose," Aria agreed, "yeah."

"Tevos can't not know that."

"And yet do you ever hear her talk about it? No, it's all about the asari people and how we need our precious planet back. There's more going on here Shepard, I'm sure of it. We're both trapped in the middle of it."

Jules watched her closely for a moment. Her fists were still clenched and she was scowling at the two dancers like they were the source of all her problems. She was more on edge than Jules had ever seen her.

"So you want us to be allies? After all that's gone on you expect me to trust _you_ over Tevos?"

"Tell me something Shepard," Aria muttered through gritted teeth, "have I ever actually double-crossed you?"

Jules thought for a moment, "Not yet," she admitted.

Aria turned, lilac eyes glinting, "Can you say the same of Tevos?"

Jules hesitated. It was an annoyingly good point.

As far as she could recall all Aria had ever done was help her. She had helped when Jules was recruiting for her mission against the Collectors. She had helped during the war, given her more support than the Council had been willing to, at least in the beginning. She had even given her Oleg Petrovsky after they had liberated Omega from him, though Jules had known she would rather have seen him dead.

As far as she could recall Aria had never done anything but help her.

Aria seemed to realise that her point had got across and chuckled grimly, "Tevos doesn't care about anything besides the asari, she would do whatever it took to put us back at the top and damn the consequences."

"What about Adarna? Do you think they're on the same side?"

Aria paused, "Not sure about that. Bitch makes my skin crawl though, I've known her type before, always has an agenda. She wasn't keen on the idea of going looking for you, thought it was a waste of time. I think she would love it if you and I were at each other's throats."

"And you think we should stick together?"

"Why not? I might be the only one here you can trust."

" _You_?"Jules repeated sceptically, "Aria, you _lied_ to me during that vid call, you told me Tevos didn't know how to contact me but it turned out she had my exact coordinates. If you want me to trust you then tell me who the hell told her where I was."

"Her anonymous informer?" Aria nodded and looked away, "I don't know who it is. I only know that they've been in contact with her for months."

"Are they really anonymous?"

"I doubt it. It's more likely she had someone watching you. You must have made enemies out there, Shepard. Surely you can think of someone who would have been willing to sell you out."

"Not anyone who knew where we were," Jules went quiet for a while, absently watching the silhouettes of the two asari who were still performing for Aria's pleasure. She wondered if Aria had brought them with her from Omega, or if she really had made it out alone.

It was strange to see her here, without any lackeys or bodyguards around her, having to obey Tevos' every word.

"How bad are things on Omega?" she asked after a time, "Will you be able to take it back?"

Aria didn't answer at once, though as the pause lasted her scowl deepened, "Omega's gone. They planted charges and blew the whole asteroid apart. The HTA can be… ruthless like that."

Memories of the Normandy's last moments flashed back into Jules mind and she nodded soberly, "You've got nowhere else to go then. Looks like we really are in the same boat."

"Headed for the same fucking iceberg," Aria agreed grimly.

…

Jules left the room more bewildered, irritated and confused than when she had gone in, with her regrets about agreeing to all this having increased tenfold. The only thing she could be sure of was that she was in the middle of a minefield and she doubted anyone had her best interests at heart.

She was already sick to death of politics and game playing. She just wanted to find Liara, to tell her: 'I've changed my mind! Let's go back to far reaches of space and let the galaxy forget about us.'

Liara would know what to say, something reassuring, something rational, something that would calm her and stop her fists from clenching.

They met utterly by accident as they both wandered opposite ways down the same corridor. Liara's tour had concluded and she had begun to explore on her own – much to Egret's disappointment. Jules was simply walking to think, hoping she could untie the knots her brain was in.

When they found each other they both smiled in relief.

"How was your meeting with Tevos?" Liara asked as she approached.

"Urgh," Jules merely grimaced in reply and as they met she pulled Liara into a tight hug, like the kind you would give a friend you hadn't seen in months. It did almost feel like it had been that long.

"Are you alright?" Liara murmured into her ear.

"Just tired," she replied and forced a smile as she pulled away, "I'd forgotten how exhausting dealing with other people could be," she kept her arms hooked around the asari's neck as Liara laughed softly, "Where have you been?"

"On a grand tour," she replied, "it's an impressive operation Tevos has here."

"Mm, you'd better start from the beginning."

They swapped notes, Liara described everything she had seen throughout the building in detail and Jules relayed her conversations with both Tevos and Aria. She outlined the maze of scheming and backstabbing as best as she could and probably still didn't make the situation any clearer.

Liara listened with a thoughtful frown and when Jules had finished she leaned back against the wall and sighed.

"Eezo… I wondered if that had something to do with this…"

"Makes sense now I think about it," Jules agreed, "it was never going to be as simple as a gallant plan to retake the asari home world, was it?"

"For some of them it will be," Liara mused, "Egret, Ereba, most of the crew are probably only here because they want to see Thessia again, or for the first time."

"And they've got no idea what they're really mixed up in," Jules sighed, "shit. Aria's right, Tevos is using us both."

Liara shot her a look, "Do you trust Aria?"

"Normally I'd say no. But this isn't Aria's battleground, it's all wrapped up in politics. She's no politician, she's just a criminal."

"And that makes her more trustworthy?"

"Probably makes her more honest."

Liara looked away but Jules could still tell what she was thinking.

"You're not convinced, are you?"

"I just wonder what it is that Aria is hoping to gain from all this. If asari space is as lawless as they say, it sounds like she might find a lot of friends there."

"I'm not doubting that she has her own agenda," Jules agreed, "that doesn't mean she can't be an ally. It's certainly better than having her as an enemy. Course, we haven't actually agreed to join the mission yet. Just say the word and we'll leave."

"And go where?"

Jules shrugged, "Tuchanka? We could visit all of Wrex's children, that would kill a few years," she smiled but didn't get much of a reaction, "We'll find somewhere Liara, we'll manage somehow. I won't let Tevos trap us."

Liara had gone quiet, her brow furrowed into its familiar, thoughtful frown.

"I want to help them Jules," she said suddenly, "whatever's going on here I want to be at the heart of it. If Tevos is corrupt then I want to stop her, if Aria is plotting something then I want to know about it. And I want to protect the people who are following them."

Jules nodded, "I thought you might say that."

"Do you mind?"

"Mind?" a smile twitched at the corner of her mouth, "It's not like I had anything better to do."


	7. Suspicion

_Chapter Seven – Suspicion_

Liara didn't even bother to enter the room that Tevos had provided for her this time, there was no point pretending that she'd be able to sleep well there on her own.

So as night fell she instead found herself in bed next to Jules, in a room bigger and more comfortable than the cramped cabin they had shared on the Armali. They had a proper bathroom, a fully stocked kitchen area and a wide window with a magnificent view across Rinoka towards the sea.

They had left the curtains open so that they could see the stars and the city lights. There were no clouds and the moon was full, reflecting silver off the still ocean and casting dark silhouettes across the room.

"Liara?"

"Mhm?" Liara mumbled from where she was half-dozing against Jules' chest, the bed was even softer than the one on the Armali and they had collapsed gratefully onto it, glad of the chance to shut out the rest world and be alone again.

The moonlight brought a kind of peacefulness that resonated through the quiet room and had lulled Liara towards sleep.

"Have you heard of these 'Truthseekers'?" Jules asked softly.

"Yes. Egret told me."

"Seems crazy doesn't it? How could anyone think the Reaper War didn't happen?"

"Are you so surprised? A race of deadly machines invading the galaxy to wipe out all sentient life? Even we found it hard to believe and we lived through it."

"Strange isn't it?"

"What?"

"Back then we all thought we were fighting to save the galaxy. But the truth is the old galaxy was always going to die. All we could control was whether we got the chance to build a new one."

"And you don't like the new one?"

There was a pause and Jules' steady breathing became the loudest noise in the room.

"I… don't know if I belong here. Before we left, there were still people who remembered life before the war but now… the krogan have adapted, the other races have moved on, only the asari are holding on to the past and everything else has changed. The Normandy's gone, Earth is different, even Omega isn't there anymore. It's… hard to keep up with."

"That's the burden of a longer lifespan. We have to cling to whatever constants we can find."

"That's what Tevos said, about Thessia. Is that how you feel?"

Liara sighed softly, "Thessia isn't what I've been clinging to these past two hundred years, Jules."

Silence. Then movement. The tip of a nose brushed gently across her crests before a light kiss was pressed to her forehead.

"Goodnight, Liara."

"Goodnight, Jules."

…

Liara awoke in an empty bed, with a soft pillow beneath her head and the scent of fresh linen in her nostrils.

She was used to waking up to Jules' scent and the steady rise and fall of her breathing, but this morning both were absent. Usually Liara was the one who woke first, but as she blindly stretched an arm out across the crumpled sheets she found she was, in fact, alone.

She lay there for a moment, tempted to drift back towards sleep. But instead she shifted, stretched the stiffness from her shoulders, propped herself up on her elbow and looked about the room. It was also empty.

Pale sunlight was lancing in through the open curtains and she looked out to see the dawn was breaking across the ocean, turning the water to liquid gold. Thin grey clouds were stretched across the sky and the sea looked choppy.

She sat up fully, pulling the quilt around her for warmth as she squinted against the sunlight. It had been a long time since she had watched a sunrise on Earth.

She remembered many mornings like this after the war, often the dawn had set her up for a long day ahead or been her reward for working hard through the night. It wasn't like sunrises on Thessia had been, the sun here was paler and the sky less vibrant but it was still beautiful in its way and somehow more familiar to her.

A noise drew her attention and she looked round to see the door to the bathroom slide open as Jules stepped out, showered and fully dressed.

The wardrobe in the room must have been stocked with clothes for her as she was wearing smart, black jeans with heeled boots and a neat leather jacket. She had dragged her magnificent mane back into a loose bun and a few stray strands of hair framed her face, sparkling red as the sun caught them.

She stopped as she saw Liara and smiled, "You're awake, I was just about to leave you a note."

"Are you going somewhere?" Liara asked, eyeing the outfit. She was even wearing jewellery. Jade rings adorned three of her fingers and silvery earrings were dangling down through her hair.

"Interviews with the press," Jules explained, barely managing not to make a face, "Tevos arranged it."

"Already? We've only been here a day," Jules wandered over to sit on the edge of the bed and Liara raised a hand to the earrings she was wearing.

Jules shrugged, "I don't think there's any point putting it off."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

She shook her head as Liara's hand dropped back to the sheets "I'll save you that trauma. I'll tell them that the famed Liara T'Soni doesn't do interviews," she smiled wickedly and Liara laughed.

"And what if they insist on speaking to me?"

"I'll remind them who saved the galaxy," she leaned in to kiss Liara on the forehead, "stay in bed, have a lie in. I'll see you later."

…

Word of Shepard and Liara's arrival had spread like wildfire through the city, and indeed across the planet. Tevos had already watched several news reports on it that morning and had seen it debated on five separate chat shows.

There were corners of the Galactic Network – what had once been called the extranet – which were abuzz with debates and discussions and footage of the two heroes walking through the docking port was being watched by millions.

Yet it still hadn't garnered as much attention as she had hoped. It seemed that the war was too much of a distant memory for most people to care, many had barely registered the story long enough to even form an opinion on it and of those who had, most dismissed it as a hoax or didn't see how it related to them.

The general public weren't the only ones doubting Shepard and Liara's identities. The HTA had already contacted her for some kind of confirmation that they were the real thing and her investors actually seemed less confident in her now than they had before, apparently believing that she was desperate enough to fake Shepard's return just to gain her project some air time.

She didn't let their suspicions concern her, however. If Shepard was even half the woman she used to be then she would soon convince them on her own.

"We do have a lot of support from other asari," Tevos glanced over to where Adarna was sitting side-on to a console, her legs crossed elegantly and a china teacup resting in her hand as she scrolled through the various news reports on the screen, "of course many of them are old enough to remember Shepard and Liara before the war. Liara's presence is of particular interest to them, her name is still respected among our people."

"More than Shepard's?" on Tevos' other side Aria was leaning lazily against the wall with her arms folded. The three of them were in a small side room off the main room where the press interviews would take place. A glass window gave them a clear view of the two chairs that had been set up in the room and there was a microphone that would let them hear every word that was said.

"Liara did a lot for asari refugees after the attack on Thessia, during _and_ after the war," Tevos explained to her without looking up from her omni-tool where she was checking the interview schedule for the fifth time in a row, "many of them owe her their lives."

"She has a lot going for her," Adarna agreed, "she's Matriarch Benezia's daughter, she was a member of the Normandy's crew, rumoured to have been the Shadow Broker; these things are still important to people who remember life before the war."

"Also rumoured to have been Shepard's lover," Tevos added, "judging by the gossip from the Armali I take it that is still the case?"

"Mhm," Adarna agreed, pausing to take a delicate sip of her tea, "I'd say so. They're very… subtle about it in public, but from what I saw it was still rather obvious. Why else would Liara have stayed with her on that miserable ship for so long?" she muttered the last sentence with a layer of distain that seemed common whenever she was discussing Shepard and Tevos saw Aria's eyes narrow curiously.

"I get the impression that you don't have the highest opinion of the galaxy's saviour," she drawled softly, her gentle voice sending shivers through the air.

Adarna didn't seem threatened, "A lot of people were involved in defeating the reapers, Aria. I sometimes think Shepard gets altogether too much credit for it."

Aria smirked slightly, "Funny. I don't remember anyone else managing to unite the races of the galaxy, when they were too busy settling old scores to realise there was a war going on."

"I'm surprised to hear you speak so openly in her defence."

"Why? She's the only reason we're all still standing here isn't she?"

"Debatable. And despite whatever she did during the war, that didn't stop her from running away one-hundred years later, though the galaxy was far from fully recovered. You'll understand if that doesn't give me the greatest confidence in her abilities now. You know I never understood why finding her would be worth our while."

"Enough," Tevos cut in, she was still staring at her omni-tool and had been trying to block out the rising argument with little success, "we have enough trouble keeping relations civil with our investors, I would rather it if we could avoid descending into petty bickering amongst ourselves," Aria sucked on her teeth audibly and looked away as Tevos turned to Adarna, "and we shouldn't judge Shepard's actions. The years following the war were hard on everyone, many of us reacted in ways we… now regret," she cleared her throat and shifted a little, "surely you can understand that gaining a longer lifespan would be hard for a human to come to terms with. She had to watch all of her friends age and die while she stayed the same."

"A reality every asari has to face," Adarna replied bluntly, "if you expect it to prompt any sympathy from me then-"

"Shut up," Aria's comment cut her off as the door opened and Shepard herself entered. From the way she paused and eyed all three of them suspiciously, it must have been obvious that they were talking about her.

"Morning," she muttered as she entered. She was fiddling with the collar of the jacket she was wearing like she wasn't entirely comfortable in it. Whether that was true or not she certainly looked the part, casual but formidable at the same time.

Tevos was reminded briefly of the first time Shepard had stood in front of the Citadel Council, with her vivid hair blazing red and her eyes gleaming like gemstones. Something had told her then that she was no ordinary human. If only she had known how right she was.

She pushed the thought to the back of her mind as she greeted Shepard briskly, "You're early, good."

"Didn't want to miss any of the fun," the human replied dryly, a look was exchanged between her and Aria which Tevos noticed but couldn't read. She knew the pair of them had spent several hours together after they had left her office yesterday though she didn't yet know what to make of it.

"How many interviews are we expecting to get through?"

"I've scheduled thirty-five so far," Tevos replied and decided to ignore the look she got in response, "not many of them will be long interviews, most are with reporters though several of our investors have sent representatives to speak to you as well. Some of them will also be filmed, if you'll permit it," Shepard didn't answer but Tevos took her stony silence to be an agreement, "Liara not joining us?" she asked casually.

A strange smile curled at the corners of Shepard's mouth, "Liara doesn't do interviews."

"People will be disappointed," Adarna said coolly.

"Be that as it may," Tevos cut in before Shepard could reply, "Liara is part of this project now and we will respect her decisions," she shot Adarna a look and then turned back to Shepard, "are you ready to start?"

Shepard raised an eyebrow, "Just like that? You're not going to brief me on what I can and can't say? I could go in there and bad mouth you to the whole media."

Tevos forced a pleasant smile, "They're here to talk to you about your return, nothing more. All you have to do is be yourself."

She seemed to consider that for a moment, arms folded across her chest, "Fine. Let's get on with it then."

…

The interviews were long and arduous with no one differing very much from the others and Jules found herself answering the same questions over and over again. Journalists, as it turned out, had not changed in two hundred years.

Some of the ones she met with were young and idealistic, they oozed enthusiasm and flashed charismatic smiles, seeming to believe every word Jules told them. Others were older and cynical, their questions laced with accusations as they tried to catch her out on every sentence. Some were ruthless, caring less about their work and more about the money a story like this stood to make them. Others were merely doing their job.

They all annoyed her in equal measure but she put on her best smile and answered each question with grace, giving them all plenty of quotes without actually telling them anything and she quickly built up stock answers for the questions she was asked repeatedly.

Many of them questioned her abilities after she had been gone for so long, yet more questioned her motives for returning. Some questioned her very existence, suspecting her to be an imposter Tevos had hired to publicise her project. Jules certainly couldn't blame them for considering it.

One was an asari who thanked her for saving a colony she could only vaguely remember fighting in. Another was a turian whose great-great-great-grandfather had fought in and survived the war and passed down numerous stories through the generations, he was so eager to tell Jules all of them that she barely got a word in.

Next there was a sour-faced woman who flat-out refused to believe that Jules was anything other than a fake, followed by a fidgety salarian who rapidly questioned her intentions and seemed to be implying that she and Tevos were involved in some sort of plot to put the asari back in power.

Between them, the two gave her such a grilling that she actually started to feel nostalgic for her interviews with Khalisah al-Jilani.

She deflected questions about Liara, remained vague on anything about Tevos' project and handled everything else with a patient smile that masked her growing irritation. Tevos must have picked up on it though as – after the fifteenth reporter had tried to catch her out on details about the war – she opened the door from the other room and suggested taking a break.

Jules gratefully kicked back her chair and stormed out of the room, dropping her smile for a hard scowl. She could feel the three asari watching her as she crossed to a small table, grabbed a bottle of water and downed three mouthfuls before stopping to breathe.

"I swear if _one_ more person calls me 'Commander' I'm going to rip their _fucking_ tonsils out!" she muttered irritably before turning to see Aria smirking at her.

"What?" she demanded.

"You're pricklier than I remember, Shepard. You always used to be so annoyingly rational."

Jules' scowl deepened, "Centuries of living might give the asari a patient and positive outlook on the galaxy but it just makes me sick of having to deal with the same crap over and over."

She angrily tossed back a loose lock of her vivid hair and turned her attention to Tevos, "How many more?"

"Twenty," she replied and Jules tried to avoid groaning, "after that everything will be conducted through our press office, you won't have to talk to them again. You're doing very well Shepard."

"Mm," she agreed grimly, "don't speak too soon."

"Just try not to punch anyone," Aria suggested helpfully.

"No promises. Do you think we'll be finished by lunch time?"

"With luck," Tevos said, "I also have several meetings I want us to get through. I thought you could meet all of our department heads and be briefed on their roles here. After that I want to take you through the restrictions the HTA have placed on us, it's quite a long list and I really do need to fill you in on everything we're up against."

Jules stared at her for a moment and was sure she saw a smug smile flicker across Tevos' lips, "You did say you wanted to learn more about the operation, didn't you?"

Jules had to grit her teeth to keep from glowering. She hadn't told Tevos yet that she and Liara had already decided to join the project, and there was nothing wrong with keeping her guessing for a while longer. So she gave Tevos her best smile and nodded.

"I'm looking forward to it."

…

Over a week passed and Jules' days were filled mostly with monotony. She was briefed on every element of the mission and filled in on its history, she attended meetings and conference calls and met several of Tevos' investors.

Between the official meetings with Tevos, there were also unofficial ones with Aria, where the pair of them swapped notes and attempted to build a clearer picture of what was really going on. And all the while Jules continued to wonder what Aria was really up to.

She knew that their apparent alliance made Tevos suspicious and Adarna practically bristled every time she saw them talking together.

In between the scheming and the plotting she found respite with Grunt and Ereba. Grunt introduced her to the galaxy's new culture, including his favourite singers, comedians, films and games – most of which involved big guns and lots of explosions.

They seemed to spend hours browsing the Galactic Network together, they also both agreed that 'Galactic Network' was a stupid name and 'extranet' had been much better. They must have complained about this a lot as Jules noticed that people had started rolling their eyes whenever they mentioned it, in the same way she had done when she was a teenager and her grandmother had complained about 'those new-fangled omni-tools'.

Ereba was quieter company but Jules enjoyed their conversations together. She seemed to have lived a lonely life since the war, throwing herself into whatever work needed doing. Jules learned that she had lost her whole family during the attack on Thessia and she had never really settled down since.

She enjoyed reminiscing about the old days, about Thessia and the Citadel and everything else that had been central to life before the war and was now just… gone. The conversations weren't sad though, in fact Jules always came away from them feeling happier that she wasn't the only one who still thought about the past. Sometimes it seemed like Liara wanted her to forget about it all and move on.

There were also, less enjoyable, daily visits to Doctor T'Carra, who would cheerfully make small talk as she ran scans and tests and then administered vitamin shots to help Jules' malnourished body recover. Not that it was actually making her feel any better.

Every morning her back still ached and days spent sitting around in stuffy rooms with even stuffier company were beginning to take their toll. Towards the end of the week even Grunt was struggling to cheer her up.

Liara, meanwhile, was adjusting to the new routine more quickly. The novelty of lying in had soon worn off for her and she was left itching for something to do. So she had thrown herself into the heart of the operation, spending her days amongst the analysts as she helped them calculate figures and run projections.

She got to grips with the running of the operation much faster than Jules did and it began to be joked about that it wouldn't be long before she was running the place – much to the unease of Tevos.

She perhaps wasn't settling in socially as well as Jules was. She had always preferred to work alone and soon gained a reputation for being reserved, closed-off and even haughty as she frequently refused offers from the other staff to join them for lunch or other recreation.

Jules knew that it didn't bother Liara if her attitude annoyed people, so long as she was left to finish her work in peace. She also knew that Liara was the exact _opposite_ of haughty, but getting to know the real Liara was a privilege that she made people earn.

Aside from socialising, it was easy to see that Liara was in her element here. Even though she spent most of her time complaining about how many inefficiencies she found on the project, Jules could tell she was secretly revelling in the challenge.

"I don't know where you find the energy," Jules muttered one morning as she sat on the bed, rubbing sleep from her eyes and trying to muster the will to stand. Liara was already showered and dressed and was gliding about the room collecting datapads and briefings for the day ahead.

She paused halfway through reaching for her bag and turned to give Jules a concerned frown, "You do look drained," she admitted as she wandered over, "are you feeling alright?"

"Mm," Jules dismissed with a wave of her hand, "it's just T'Carra's vitamin shots, has she offered them to you?"

"No."

"Don't let her, they give you one hell of a headache."

"I thought they were meant to be making you feel better."

Jules grimaced slightly, "She says it's just my body adjusting to the change."

Liara hummed softly and ran the back of her hand across Jules' cheek, still pale and worryingly gaunt, "I think you need some fresh air."

Jules leaned in to the contact and smiled wearily, "With an army of press waiting for us outside the front doors? Somehow I don't think that would relax me much."

Liara paused thoughtfully for a moment and her eyes wandered from Jules' gaze, until Jules frowned, "What is it?"  
Liara looked back and gave her a mysterious smile, "Hold that thought."

…

The next morning she was woken by a kiss on her cheek and warm breath against her ear.

"Jules," Liara's voice murmured softly, "wake up."

Jules shifted slightly, opened her eyes and then instantly groaned and clamped them shut again. Outside the sky was bright and clear and the sun had just fully risen above the sea, ready to blind her as she inadvertently looked straight into it.

Liara chuckled as Jules turned away from the light and snaked her arm around Liara's waist, "What time is it?" she muttered groggily.

"Early. Get dressed."

Jules opened her eyes again – more reluctantly this time – and squinted at her suspiciously.

"Why?"

"I've got something to show you."

She still seemed less than eager as she sniffed and made a face, "Does it _have_ to involve me being dressed?"

" _Yes_ ," Liara insisted with a smile, "it'll be worth it, I promise."

Jules was still half asleep as Liara dragged her out of their room and down to the ground floor. She completely ignore the main entrance and instead veered off through a door marked 'Staff Only'.

No one attempted to stop them. Tevos had been keen to show her trust and had given them full access to the building, despite Adarna's advice to the contrary.

"Liara, where are we going?" Jules laughed as she found herself being dragged by the hand through a maze of storerooms, filled with boxes of stationary and office supplies.

"To get some fresh air," she replied, throwing a glance over her shoulder as Jules half-jogged to keep up with her, "I thought we could explore the city."

"Ri-ight, but why-" she broke off to smile at a confused looking salarian worker as Liara breezed past him, still dragging Jules by the hand, "but why are we going this way?"

"Apparently there's a back door around here somewhere," Liara explained, "Tevos uses it to avoid the press."

"How do you know about it?"

"Egret told me. She's quite the blabbermouth that one, she also spends a lot of her time eavesdropping."

"So she hears all the gossip and then tells you about it?" something about Jules' tone made Liara look back at her curiously.

"What?"

"Oh nothing," Jules shook her head, "it's just, you've only been here five minutes and you're already recruiting agents."

Liara threw her a wry smile but said nothing, "Here we are."

They stopped in front of a completely unremarkable door, halfway down an equally unremarkable corridor and Liara pulled out a key card that she must have acquired somehow. Jules assumed it was best not to ask how.

The lock clicked and the door swung open onto an empty back street, a rush of cool, crisp air greeted them and for a moment they stood and breathed it in.

"Does Tevos know we're doing this?" Jules asked, shivering slightly as the air touched her.

Liara just shrugged, "I wasn't aware we were prisoners."

"She might think we're running away."

"She's free to think whatever she chooses," Liara said dismissively then nodded ahead of them, "shall we?"

…

High up in the office block, Tevos gazed at the security footage and sighed softly as she watched Shepard and Liara step out into the city.

"Should we have them followed?" Adarna asked her from where she was hovering by her shoulder. Tevos shook her head wearily.

"Leave them, we can't expect trust to be reciprocated if we don't show it first."

"And are we sure we _can_ trust them? When they sneak out like thieves without telling anyone."

Tevos shot her a look, "Leave them," she repeated clearly, "I'm sure they can look after themselves."

"Tevos, I don't think-"

Tevos stood, cutting Adarna off before she could finish and giving her a look of steel, "That is my final word. If they don't return by tonight, _then_ we will start to worry, but I will not permit you to spy on them."

Adarna bowed her head and watched quietly as Tevos left the room. When she had gone, she activated her omni-tool, "Liara and Shepard have left the building by the back door," she spoke into the comm, "pursue them."

…

A salty, sea breeze touched Jules' skin as they stepped out into the narrow back street. There was no one around except for a large, black-and-white cat that was lounging atop some boxes. It turned its head to peer at them through wide, yellow eyes as they emerged and twitched its tail suspiciously, ready to bolt at the first sign of danger.

Jules could hear the distant sounds of traffic and people but nearby all was quiet, "So," she began, turning briefly into the wind as she tossed her hair out of her eyes, "is there anywhere in particular you want to go?"

She looked back to see Liara frowning as she looked about, "I… don't know, I've never been to this city before."

"Hm," Jules chewed her lip, "well, it's probably got parks, and shops – though we don't have any money. Do you think Tevos is planning to pay us for working for her?"

Liara smiled but didn't answer, "Let's not talk about Tevos today," she sighed and glanced around the back street, enclosed on all sides by tall skyscrapers, "I want to see the sea," she decided.

Jules nodded, "Well it's big enough, should be easy to find."

As they set off, it soon became obvious why the press had never found the back door. The backstreet they had emerged in did not lead directly to a main road, instead it connected to another backstreet, and then another and eventually a whole maze of streets and alleyways which Jules and Liara wandered through blindly without particularly bothering to remember their route.

Above them the sky was clear and bright and the cool air was a pleasant relief for their lungs which had been starved of proper oxygen for too long. Jules couldn't deny the skip in her step as she walked and she and Liara were soon laughing as they chatted carelessly.

Following the sounds of cars and people, they eventually emerged onto a busy main street where they found the throngs of people Jules had seen from the docking port. They stood and watched the moving crowd for a moment, catching snippets of conversations as people rushed by. The street was lined with shops and restaurants and the smell of hot food was wafting from a nearby bakery.

"Do you think anyone will recognise us?" Jules said suddenly, not that anyone was paying much attention to them.

"I doubt it," Liara replied, "people never look the same in person as they do on camera, besides, we're not planning on talking to anyone, are we?"

"Hm," Jules mused with a smile, "come on then, this city's surrounded on three sides by the sea, if we keep walking long enough we should hit it eventually."

They joined the throng, walking hand-in-hand down the street and commenting idly on whatever they saw. As much as things had changed since the war it was also remarkable how much had stayed the same, this could have been a street from any city on Earth _or_ Thessia before the war.

As they crossed over a junction Jules caught sight of the ocean in the distance down another street and they headed for it, though they soon lost sight of it again behind the buildings that were boxing them in. Still, they both enjoyed the walk and even Liara didn't seem to mind being surrounded by so many people; her eyes were dazzling more brightly than usual and she kept looking up at the sky and smiling in a way that warmed Jules' heart.

As they neared the waterfront, both the city and the crowds began to thin out and they stepped out of the shadow of skyscrapers and into warm sunlight. They crossed over a quiet road and found themselves overlooking the quay and beyond it, a vast, breathtaking horizon was spread out before them, sparkling in the light of the sun.

Liara sighed contentedly as they stopped to observe it.

It was quieter here. They could hear the waves gently lapping against the boats moored below them and the water was calm and still. There were a few other groups of people taking walks here and Jules watched as a family of quarians wandered by.

Now they were unmasked, Jules had always considered quarians to be the most exotic-looking of the races. Perhaps it was because they were so similar to humans, and yet so different.

Their alien features were sharp and precise and made every expression seem intense. Their smooth skin was strangely textured and their pale-coloured eyes actually glowed. Even their hair was… different. Almost all of them grew it long and it fell in dark, luxurious locks that never seemed to tangle and reflected the light in a way no human's could ever hope to.

It had caused a lot of envy among humans, Jules remembered with a smile. Previously you would only see hair like that on models in airbrushed adverts.

"Still strange, isn't it?" she muttered absently as she watched the family pass, "Seeing them out of their suits."

Liara followed her gaze and frowned oddly, "I can hardly remember what their suits looked like."

Jules sighed.

They left the road, heading down a stone set of steps to a long promenade that stretched along the seafront. It seemed to go on endlessly in both directions so they picked one and began to wander.

Without the shelter from the buildings, the salty wind coming off the sea became bracing, snapping at their clothes and whipping Jules' loose locks into an unruly mess. It was an invigorating change from the stuffy air of the headquarters and they found themselves smiling as they walked. They almost didn't notice the two asari following them from a distance.

Almost.

"Do you think Tevos sent them?" Jules muttered as they settled themselves on a bench overlooking the sea and huddled together for warmth.

Liara cast a glance towards the unassuming couple. They had stopped discreetly at a distance and were leaning against the railings, appearing to admire the view. They were actually the fifth set of pursuers who had followed them through the city. Each time one pair broke off another had emerged. They were clearly professionals, but it wasn't so easy to fool an ex-Shadow Broker.

"Shall we assume the best and say she's just concerned for our welfare?" Liara suggested dryly.

"Understandable," Jules supposed, "we are a pretty big investment for her, I think the interviews I did are the only thing keeping her project in the news right now. Seems the galaxy doesn't really care about Thessia anymore," which was actually quite odd, now she thought about it. According to Aria, Thessia was the modern-day equivalent of a gold mine.

"I think news about it is being suppressed," Liara muttered and Jules turned to see her frowning thoughtfully out at the sea.

"What makes you say that?"

She shrugged, "I recognise the signs. The Citadel Council were suppressing news reports about the reapers after you were killed in the Collector attack. They had VI programs across the extranet that would keep any mention of the reapers from being seen in mainstream media. I used the same method during the war to draw more attention to our cause. It's amazing how easy it is to manipulate people that way. I've been studying the news coverage of the project, Tevos is constantly being portrayed as a mad woman and Thessia as a lost cause. Its resources are never even mentioned, it's like someone doesn't want anyone to think it might be worthwhile trying to reclaim it."

"But why?" Jules asked with a frown.

"And who?" Liara agreed.

"The HTA seem keen to make Tevos' life difficult. I think they hoped that if they placed enough restrictions on the project she would call the whole thing off."

"Why would they want to discredit her?"

Jules shrugged, "They've changed a lot since we founded them. I think they're the most powerful people in the galaxy these days."

"And probably hoping to stay that way…" Liara mused. Her brow creased slightly as she drifted into her own thoughts, then she sighed and shook her head, "we weren't going to talk about any of this today. I brought you here to get away from it all."

"Might be difficult, with Tevos' spies watching our every move," Jules smiled as she eyed the two asari, "come on, let's see how good they are," she took Liara's hand and stood. The harsh wind assaulted them immediately, blowing Jules' hair into her eyes and making her shudder.

They led their pursuers along the length of the promenade and then up to a sort of plaza where families were enjoying a day out and the smell of fried food made them lament their lack of money. It was here that the two asari disappeared and were replaced by a pair of salarians who maintained an equally discreet distance.

As it began to reach noon, they drifted back into the shelter of the city though they tried to avoid the busiest areas. They found quiet streets filled with houses and wandered lazily across a maintained field that was most likely used as a sports pitch.

Jules wondered what kind of sports people played these days.

Here there were no crowds to get lost in and it was defiantly making it harder for the people following them to stay inconspicuous.

"I think we're irritating them," Jules muttered as they walked deliberately slowly down an otherwise deserted street of fairly old looking houses that had probably been built not long after the war. Their pursuers had changed at least five times in the past fifteen minutes as they tried not to blow their cover, "do you think they know that we know?"

Liara glanced behind them to where a human and a turian were standing by a wall and attempting to look casual. As she caught the human's eye he quickly looked away and began chatting to the turian about something trivial – probably the weather.

"I'd say so," she smiled as she turned back, "they're not the best surveillance I've ever seen. If they were my agents I'd have fired them by now."

"Well," Jules grinned, "not everyone has standards as high as yours."

"Jules," Liara had stopped suddenly and Jules was three strides past her before she realised and turned back, "look," Liara pointed. They were beside the entrance to an old park, though it was hard to tell that's what it was at first glance.

The high railings that surrounded it looked ancient and were missing all together in some places. It looked like there had once been gates though now there was only an empty archway and the thick hedge that grew inside the railings had become twisted and unkempt, reaching ugly branches out into the street.

But Liara seemed to be ignoring the park itself as she was instead pointing to a plaque nailed onto the railings. Half hidden by the overgrown hedge, it read: Reaper War Memorial Garden. Someone had painted the word 'hoax' over 'Reaper War' in white letters.

"For fuck's sake," Jules muttered bitterly as she saw it. The paint looked fairly new, probably a sign that her and Liara's arrival in the city had stirred up talk of the war.

Liara didn't seem overly concerned about the graffiti however as she tugged at Jules' sleeve and led her through the arch, "Come on, let's have a look."

The park was in a sorry state. Flowerbeds were overgrown with weeds and wildflowers and the stone pathways that weaved between them were cracked and crumbling. In some places the plants encroached so far across them that Jules and Liara had to trample over stems and leaves to get through.

They ducked beneath overgrown tree branches and navigated through areas where it was hard to see the path at all. In one corner they saw freshly dug earth and newly planted flowers that suggested at least _someone_ was looking after the place, though they were clearly fighting a losing battle.

Tall buildings had been built right up to the edges of the park, dwarfing it in shadow and the air was cold and damp. Nowhere else in the city had been damp, it made Jules wonder if this place ever saw sunlight.

There was something oppressive about the way the trees and the plants were so overgrown, like they were closing in around them. Still, they carried on walking and eventually reached the centre.

It opened out here into a paved circle. There was a round, stone basin set into the ground that looked like it might once have been a fountain, though now it was simply a dirty pool of rainwater with a few leaves floating on its surface.

All around the edge of the circle were tall, metal sculptures in simple, geometric shapes and on each one there were names carved. As Liara walked up to one she ran her fingers across the smooth surface and frowned.

"This feels familiar," she mused quietly, "it must be from-"

"The Citadel," Jules cut in. They had used metal from the Citadel to construct many things after the war, she would recognise it anywhere. It was a unique composition, the same material that the mass relays were made out of. They had still never found out how the reapers had constructed it.

"This must have been built not long after the war then," Liara muttered as she glanced around, "I think we're in the original part of the city."

"The forgotten part, more like," Jules said grimly, "it's a bit dilapidated isn't it? I can't believe this place has been allowed to fall into this state. A few conspiracy theories is one thing but when the authorities don't even care enough to-"

"Shh," Liara scolded her gently, "this was built to be a sanctuary, and look," she nodded to one of the memorials where a fresh bunch of white flowers had been recently placed, "someone must still care."

They wandered around the circle, reading the names that had been engraved into the sculptures, none of which they recognised. Most of them were salarian, presumably fallen members of the STG unit that had founded the city. There were others too, it was likely that every one of the original settlers had put the names of loved ones forward.

Eventually they came to a carved stone bench and Liara brushed several wet leaves from it before they sat and surveyed the garden quietly. Through a gap in the hedges they could see the human and the turian had followed them inside.

Jules sighed.

"Am I stuck in the past, Liara?" she asked idly. Beside her, Liara turned to look at her.

"I don't know," she lied, obviously, "what do you think?"

Jules thought for a moment as she looked around the garden, it looked like the unkempt grave of someone whose life had long since been forgotten.

"I don't want to forget what the quarians looked like in their suits," she said absently, "I don't want to talk about the war like it's ancient history when it feels like it only happened yesterday. I don't want to stop talking to Garrus, or Tali, or any of them."

She heard a calm sigh that told her Liara was holding back her feelings, "And does it make you happy? Clinging to the people who are gone?"

Liara surely didn't need an answer, she saw everything that went on in Jules' mind.

"I'm not sure I want to be happy, it doesn't seem right."

"Oh Juliet," Liara placed an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in a little, "why do you see their deaths as a sad thing? Almost all of our friends lived long, rich lives, mostly because of you."

"And for what?" Jules argued, "So that everybody could forget them, or deny they existed at all? Look at the state of this place, Liara, it was built to remember people who gave their lives fighting for this galaxy and now it's been left to suffocate under weeds. People don't care anymore!"

"It doesn't matter," Liara said sharply, "They're alive, Jules. They're living their lives, raising families, discovering the things they love. That's the legacy of everyone who fought during the war, it doesn't matter if they're remembered or not," she paused and took a deep breath and Jules felt her grip tighten a little as she nodded ahead of them to the flowers that had been left on one of the memorials, "ignore the weeds, focus on the flowers."

They stayed quiet for a long time after that, letting the afternoon drift away as they sat there, listening to birds chirping in the overgrown trees. Wildlife was certainly thriving in the uncared-for park and small creatures could be heard scuttling through the leaves. It was only the tall buildings and the occasional, distant sounds of traffic that reminded them they were in a city at all.

All the walking had worn Jules out more than she had expected and she found herself dozing slightly against Liara's shoulder as she mulled over what she had said. It wasn't so easy for her to imagine letting go of the war, for so long it seemed to have been the thing that defined her.

The air was starting to grow colder and movement from Liara drew Jules out of her sleepy trance, "We should probably head back," she murmured softly, "I think our friends are getting bored."

Jules blinked to clear the haze from her eyes and followed Liara's gaze to see that the human and the turian were now sitting on another bench a little way from them. They were both fidgeting restlessly and seemed to have run out of conversation topics.

"Hm, do you know how to get back to Tevos' headquarters from here?" she asked Liara who smiled and shook her head.

"No."

"Me neither," she turned back towards the pair, "Oi!" she shouted across the garden, making them both jump and look up, slightly startled, "Could you give us directions back to Tevos' please?" she asked pleasantly, "It'll be easier for you to follow us if you know what route we're taking!"

…

The bewildered looks on their faces as they had given Jules the directions she asked for, was still making Liara chuckle by the time they reached the headquarters. In order to avoid the press they used the back door again and found themselves giggling as they weaved back through the storerooms towards the reception area.

Jules was looking better, though the day seemed to have worn her out there was colour in her cheeks and her smile was genuine.

As they headed back towards their room, they passed one of the conference rooms and through a window they saw Tevos and Adarna sitting at the table together. Adarna's eyes narrowed disapprovingly as they passed while Tevos merely looked weary, almost like she was disappointed in them.

Liara didn't care. Jules was looking healthier and that was all that mattered.

…

It was the next morning when Jules fell ill.

She had become restless through the night, sleeping in fitful, feverish bursts and half-waking in between to mutter nonsense or struggle against unseen foes. Liara had soothed her with gentle whispers and soft caresses and for a time she would calm, but it had never lasted for long.

It was still early when she finally threw back the sheets, wriggled out of Liara's arms and hauled herself to her feet, stumbling against the bedside table as she did.

"Jules?" Liara sat up, the sky was only just starting to lighten and she had to squint to see Jules swaying slightly where she stood, "Are you okay?"

"I…" Jules was pinching the bridge of her nose, grimacing uncomfortably. When she finally turned to meet Liara's gaze there was confusion in her eyes before she suddenly winced and collapsed to the floor.

"Jules!" Liara scrambled out of the bed and knelt quickly beside her, scraping back the loose hair that had fallen to cover her face.

She was still breathing but unconscious. Centuries of practice at staying calm in a crisis helped to keep panic at bay as she mentally cycled through her options before she stood and crossed to a comm panel that was built into the wall, "I need Doctor T'Carra up here!" she shouted to whoever was on the other end, " _Now_!"

In the five minutes it took for the doctor to arrive, Jules' condition didn't change and Liara couldn't wake her.

She looked up when the door opened and T'Carra entered. The doctor paused for a moment at the sight of them and frowned as though it somehow startled her before she quickly recovered and moved to join Liara at Jules' side.

"What happened?" she asked, activating her omni-tool.

"I don't know, she stood up and then she just collapsed. Her pulse is steady I just can't wake her," as she looked up she saw the interface of the doctor's omni-tool was wavering slightly, "are you alright, doctor? Your hands are shaking."

T'Carra followed Liara's gaze and cleared her throat uncomfortably before she nodded, "Yes I'm fine. Shepard is… in a coma," she said it absently with no hint of surprise, though she was frowning oddly.

"What?" Liara's eyes widened slightly, "How?"

Again the doctor cleared her throat and her voice seemed to falter before she answered, "It's her implants, they're shutting down one by one."

"Surely that's not possible, she's dependant on those implants, she'll die without them."

T'Carra avoided her eye as she shut off her omni-tool and stood, "We need to get her to hospital."

"Will they know how to help her? Nothing as advanced as those implants has been seen in the galaxy for two hundred years."

T'Carra paused to look at her, she had gone incredibly pale, Liara noted, and a thin layer of sweat glistened across her forehead.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"We need to get her to hospital," the doctor repeated, "I'll make the call."

It other circumstances Liara might have considered it odd that T'Carra actually seemed more distressed than she was, but as she looked down at Jules her mind quickly found other priorities. She was breathing peacefully as she lay unresponsive on the floor and Liara brushed a hand gently across her hair.

"You've survived the odds too many times before for it to end like this, Jules," she smiled softly, "hold on for me."

The paramedics arrived swiftly and Jules was soon being taken out of the room. Liara had thrown some clothes on over the ones she had slept in and followed them through the building, down to the main floor.

She had no idea if anyone else had been told, Tevos, Aria, Grunt. Grunt would want to know. It didn't matter, someone else would handle it.

They passed the reception desk where the asari receptionists stopped their work to watch silently, then they passed through the front doors and were instantly met with the horde of reporters who were still camped outside, their interests having been stirred up by the ambulance parked by the doors.

Liara squinted against the cameras and mentally blocked out the noise as she positioned herself between Jules and the journalists, blocking their view of her as best she could. Jules had been interviewed several times in the past week but Liara hadn't been seen since their arrival and her presence seemed to excite them even more.

She watched in a daze as Jules was lifted into the back of the ambulance by the paramedics. There were three of them, two turians and a human. As she looked inside the vehicle she saw there were another three humans and drell waiting there.

It briefly occurred to her that it seemed an excessive number of people for one ambulance but she dismissed the thought as her eyes again fell on Jules.

The noise of the press was making her head pound and she grimaced as she stepped forward towards the ambulance. As she did, she felt something stop her and looked down to see one of the humans had held out an arm to block her path.

"We'll take it from here," he told her bluntly.

She frowned at him oddly as she processed his words, over his shoulder she could see the medics were leaning over Jules, they appeared to be injecting her with something.

"I want to go with her," she said distractedly.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that."

She frowned at him again, "Why? I'm her family," she didn't know if she would be _officially_ classed as family but she didn't care, she was all Jules had.

The man paid no attention to her, however, "Step back," he told her. He raised his arm again and as he did his jacket opened slightly and she saw the shape of a pistol holstered at his side.

"Why are you carrying a gun?" the confused question escaped her before she had the chance to consider that it might have been a bad idea to ask and the man's face hardened. Behind him, wires were being inserted into Jules' arms and the drell was hooking her up to several different machines.

"Fuck," she heard him mutter as he stared at the screen, "she was right about these implants. They're worth a whole fucking army."

"What are they doing to her?"

She got no answer as the man simply pushed her back a step, "We'll take it from here," he said again and Liara's frown deepened. She looked around for support but found she was alone, when had T'Carra disappeared? Behind her the press were still shouting, flooding her senses with noise and chaos but something was wrong, she could feel it.

"Stay here," the man was saying, he was turning his back on her, making for the ambulance where the medics were still tending to Jules. Medics with guns. Something was wrong.

"NO!" she yelled suddenly, pure instinct made her biotics flare and she channelled the power towards the human, yanking him off his feet and tossing him aside into the crowd of reporters. There were a few surprised shouts and at least one scream but she ignored it as she sprinted forwards to the ambulance.

"Leave her alone!" she shouted as she bolted inside and physically pulled two of the medics aside. The third one was ready for her, however, and grabbed her roughly by the arm before pushing her backwards out of the open doors; her back hit the pavement as she landed and the impact shot through her spine. She didn't pause to think as she struggled back to her feet and readied herself for a fight.

She was painfully out-of-practice.

The human who she had sent flying was now on his feet and had his pistol raised towards her. She erected a barrier as he fired two shots and she deflected both of them, but her barrier was weaker than it used to be and the impact made her stagger.

The two turians had jumped out of the ambulance and were surrounding her with guns raised. A lot of the gathered reporters had scattered and fled though the more dedicated – or possibly stupid – ones were doing their best to film the whole scene.

Liara eyed her three foes, well aware that there were more of them still in the ambulance. With Jules. The thought made her mouth curl into a snarl and she lit up with biotics, ready to fight despite the odds against her.

One of the turians was the first to move, as he fired she deflected the bullets with a shockwave that sent him smashing back into the corner of the ambulance. Before the other two could react she spun on the spot and summoned another wave of energy which knocked the second turian off his feet though the human only staggered. As he tried to recover, Liara captured him in a biotic field and pulled him sharply towards her.

She smashed him face-first into the ground, cracking his head against the pavement so that blood stained the concrete. She was quick to snatch the gun from his hand and aimed it towards the ambulance where the other medics still had Jules at their mercy.

"Let her go!" she shouted, the two turians were back on their feet and had their own weapons levelled at her. There was nowhere for her to go, no cover she could take, "LET HER GO!"

The turians both opened fire at the same time.

The first bullet ricocheted off her barrier and made her stagger. The second knocked the gun from her hand. The third tore through the barrier altogether and she felt a searing heat ripping through her shoulder. The fourth took one of her legs out from under her and the world blurred as she fell to her knees. The fifth seemed to hit her arm, though she couldn't be sure. By the sixth she could taste blood and her vision was swimming.

The fallen human was being dragged towards the ambulance, she heard the doors slam shut and was vaguely aware of the sound of an engine. There were screams from the crowd as the ambulance veered through them and sped away.

She felt cold concrete beneath her head and the world went dark.


	8. What Happened?

_Chapter Eight – What Happened?_

Doctor Tavia Aegina sat in a windowless office, beneath the streets of Rinoka, arranging the items on her desk with painstaking care until everything was in its exact and proper place. Precision was a turian trait, her father had always told her, and one she had always excelled at.

She settled back in her chair and waited, counting the seconds as they ticked by. The knock came at her door two minutes and forty-two seconds late, but she let it pass as she called out: "Enter."

Her assistant appeared around the door. The salarian was out of breath and his wide eyes were blinking furiously as he stammered to speak, "Shepard has just arrived, Doctor, they're bringing her in now."

Tavia looked down at her desk and moved a datapad two millimetres to the left, "Did everything go smoothly?" The length of his pause told her that the answer was no and she looked up to see him fidgeting nervously, "What happened?"

…

"What happened?" Matriarch Tevos strode through the corridors of her headquarters, her heels clacking loudly on the hard floor as one of the medical staff jogged to keep up with her.

"Doctor T'Carra was called to Shepard's room because she had collapsed," the asari nurse explained breathlessly, dodging to the side as Tevos sharply rounded a corner, "then an ambulance was seen pulling up outside. Thing is, there's not actually any record of one being called."

Tevos frowned slightly as they passed a group of gossiping staff who went abruptly quiet as she came into earshot. Word had spread quickly, it seemed "Go on."

"The paramedics took Shepard outside but for some reason Liara got into a fight with them, she's been shot at least four times."

"By paramedics?" she cast the young nurse an incredulous look and then slowed as they arrived at the medical room. Through a glass window Tevos could see that it had been turned into an impromptu operating theatre; Liara was lying unconscious on a medical bed while three of their four doctors tended to her wounds. The most senior member of staff present was Rhys, a quarian doctor who was calmly issuing orders to the others.

"Where _is_ Doctor T'Carra?"

"I don't know," the nurse replied, "we haven't been able to find her."

"And Shepard?"

"She was taken away in the ambulance but none of the hospitals in the city have reported admitting her."

"Hey!" They looked up as Grunt appeared with Ereba following closely behind him. The huge krogan was lumbering casually towards them while Ereba's worried strides barely managed to keep up with him.

As they reached the window Grunt took one look at Liara and shrugged slightly, "What happened?"

…

"WHAT HAPPENED?"

Tavia heard the screamed question two corridors away and sighed inwardly as she headed calmly towards the irate, human voice.

"All you had to do was get Shepard into the ambulance without making a scene! Not have a fucking firefight, in the middle of the street, in front of a crowd of _journalists_! You realise your faces are all over the news? What the hell were you playing at?"

Tavia rounded a corner and found the voice's owner. Erica Jensen was tall for a human with angry red hair and dark eyes that flashed menacingly as she raged at the human man who was standing meekly in front of her with his head bowed. Looking at him, Tavia could see that his nose was broken and there was dried blood across his face from a nasty head wound. It looked like he had been smashed face-first into something _very_ hard.

"Erica" Tavia greeted curtly as she approached, "I hear things didn't exactly go to plan."

Erica growled at that and the man paled even further.

"I thought this was supposed to be a simple assignment."

"Oh it was," Erica agreed, "but it turns out that Mister Dester here probably couldn't organise a piss-up in a _fucking_ brewery!" she gestured wildly to the man and he _almost_ managed not to roll his eyes.

"Look, we didn't know Liara was going to be there," he said in his defence, though he quickly looked away again as Erica's eyes flashed furiously, "she was insisting on getting into the ambulance."  
"You should have let her!" Erica snapped, "We'd have found a way to deal with her once we'd got her back here. But no, you had to go and shoot her in front of a crowd of witnesses. Nobody is ever going to believe Shepard is in hospital now, the whole fucking city will be looking for her!"

Tavia sighed calmly and clasped her hands behind her back. The original plan had been a good one, Shepard slips into a coma and is rushed to hospital where she tragically dies after her implants inexplicably fail. A fake corpse and a few falsified records would have been enough to make it convincing and they would have been left with all the time they needed to work on the real Shepard.

But if people were going to come looking for her then they would need to move more quickly.

"Where is Shepard now?" she asked.

"In the operating theatre," Erica replied coldly as she continued to glower at Dester, "all ready and waiting for you."

"Good, it's best that I don't delay, time may be short."

"Tavia," there was a warning edge in Erica's voice that made Tavia pause curiously as the woman turned to look at her, her dark eyes glimmered briefly as she smiled without warmth, "I know you revel in the chance to play with your scalpels," she said softly, "but there is a lot of money riding on this, so don't get carried away, will you?"

Tavia blinked, "I assure you Erica, I am well aware of what is expected of me."

She turned away and began to walk swiftly back down the corridor, behind her she heard Erica's rant against Dester start up with renewed vigour as the incensed woman began demanding solutions from him. Erica had many admirable qualities for a human, the ability to remain calm and reasonable was not one them.

As arms dealers went, Erica Jenson was one of the most successful, powerful and rich amongst them. She was also one of the most illegal, willing to resort to whatever methods were necessary to make a profit, otherwise she would never have hired Tavia.

She entered the operating theatre to find that Shepard was already wired up to the machines and her condition was being monitored. Her salarian assistant and several of the other scientists were recording down the data and running all the tests that she had ordered.

"What's her condition?" she asked as she walked over to join them. As she laid eyes on the legendary Commander Shepard she was, for some reason, surprised to see that she looked exactly like the pictures in the history books. Her red hair was vividly striking, not like the dirty orange that Erica's was, and her hard brow seemed to be glowering menacingly even as she lay unconscious with wires coming out of her. It wasn't hard to believe that she had once saved the galaxy.

"Unconscious but stable," her assistant replied, "T'Carra's injections have reduced the function of her implants just enough to keep her alive, exactly as she said they would."

"The whole purpose of that was to give us a legitimate reason to carry her away in an ambulance," Tavia sighed, "the way things have gone, we may as well have stormed the building and taken her by force. Still, it can't be helped now. How are the implants looking?"

"They're incredible, Doctor," he replied, the awe was apparent in his voice as he gazed down at the scans, "if we can work out how they function, we might be able to develop all kinds of lifesaving equipment. I can't even imagine the advancements that could come from this."

Tavia listened grimly to his enthusiasm. Lifesaving equipment was so rarely invented to save lives, most companies only invested in it because people were willing to pay millions to get their hands on it. That was certainly the only reason Erica was interested in this.

Tavia knew that any technology developed from those implants would never go to public hospitals or government health schemes; it would go to criminals who wanted an army of super soldiers or rich billionaires who wanted to live forever and become – like Shepard – a living legend.

But she would let the young salarian keep his naivety for now, it would make him more dedicated to the task ahead.

"Which implants do you want to start with, Doctor?" he asked her.

"The ones in her brain," Tavia replied, "we want to learn as much about their functions as we can before we remove them so we'll need her to be conscious."

He paused at that, turning away from the scans to stare at her through wide black eyes, "Why?"

Tavia blinked, "So we can monitor her reactions and gain a better picture of each implant's purpose. It will save time later."

"But-" he faltered slightly and she continued to stare at him expectantly. She could predict what his objection would be but she wanted to see if he actually had the backbone to say it, "isn't that unethical? If she's conscious, it could be quite… distressing for her."

Tavia kept her expression blank as she calmly took a step forward, "Michael," she started coolly and saw him shrink back a little, she only ever used his first name as a warning, "we need to learn as much as we can about these implants if we are going to recreate the technology they use to function."

"But-"

"I thought you were supposed to be a scientist," she challenged, "scientists understand that sacrifices such as this are necessary for innovation. Are you committed to this project or not?"

For a moment he stared at her, then his huge eyes briefly lingered on Shepard and he sighed softly, "Yes, Doctor."

"Good. Then start bringing her round."

…

"She's waking up."

The voice drifted to Liara through a haze and she frowned as she realised she didn't recognise its owner. She was on her back, there was a bed beneath her and her eyes felt too heavy to open so she strained her hearing and tried to work out where she was.

She seemed to feel both numb and sore at the same time and suddenly grimaced as she shifted and pain shot through her. Her shoulder twinged, her leg ached and somehow her stomach felt like it had been ripped in two.

"Now, now. Take it easy."

She frowned more sharply this time. Whoever was speaking was a stranger, she had no idea where she was and she could hardly move. In short, her mind was screaming: _danger!_

She opened her eyes and found herself staring at a quarian. The man was leaning over her, gazing at her through glowing, golden eyes; slick, black hair fell in soft waves to his shoulders and his thin face was split into a sharp, alien smile.

"Hello my dear," he greeted her brightly and Liara tried not to recoil too obviously.

"Who…" she began, but trailed off as she realised how dry her throat was, she looked behind him and saw several asari in medical outfits moving about the room.

"You're back in the headquarters," she snapped her head round at the second voice and saw Tevos standing at her other side. The matriarch's expression was soft and completely calm as she continued: "you were shot, do you remember?"

 _Shot?_ She looked down at herself and saw the wound stretched across her abdomen. It was a mess, stained with dried blood and the stench of medi-gel was thick in the air. In two-hundred years the smell hadn't changed – or improved.

As she continued to stare, Tevos laid a hand gently on the shoulder that wasn't throbbing painfully, "What do you remember?"

Liara frowned. She had been outside, surrounded by reporters. There had been an ambulance, and medics, medics with guns. Jules had been ill, unconscious. _Jules…_

Her frown turned to a glare as the memories returned and she looked up sharply to meet Tevos' eye, "Where's Jules?"

The matriarch blinked, "We don't know, we were hoping you-"

She was cut off abruptly as Liara slapped away her hand and reached up to grab her by the collar, "Don't lie to me! What have you done to her?"

…

Jules awoke slowly. She could hear the soft hum of technology and the low murmur of voices and she opened her eyes to find herself staring at a dark, unfamiliar ceiling. The smells in the air were bitter, like a med bay.

Awareness returned groggily to her and at first she didn't really question where she was. She did vaguely register that she couldn't smell Liara, or hear her breathing, or feel her nestled against her side like she usually could when she awoke. Come to think of it she couldn't even feel her side.

Frowning, she made to reach out her arm. It was then she realised she couldn't move.

A shadow fell across her and in the corner of her eye-line a turian woman appeared and looked down at her. Intricate grey markings decorated her carapace – an element of turian culture that had apparently survived the war – and her eyes were yellow like a cat's.

"Don't panic," she stated rather impassively as Jules squinted at her, "we've administered a paralytic drug, that's why you can't move. It's nothing to worry about."

Jules blinked until her vision focussed and peered at the tall turian suspiciously. As she glanced around she saw there were five other people in the room, including a salarian who seemed to be fiddling with some wires that were plugged into a computer. As she followed the line of the wires she realised they were coming out of her own arm. The arm she couldn't feel. Because she was paralysed.

"Right," she croaked softly as she looked back at the turian, "a group of strangers have me on an operating table, there's wires coming out of me and I can't move. Nothing to worry about at all."

"Sarcasm?" the turian cocked her head in mild curiosity, "I must say I was expecting confusion, anger, surprise at the very least."

Jules swallowed and licked her lips, "It's not that easy to surprise me. Trust me, this is far from the weirdest place I've ever woken up in… probably," she swallowed again and looked around as much of the room as she could see, "where am I?"

The turian didn't answer at once. She paused to take a datapad that was handed to her by one of the others and took a moment to read it, "It's not important," she said at last.

"It's pretty important to me," Jules retorted, "I'd like to know where the hell I am, _and_ how I got here."

"What's the last thing you remember," the woman asked absently, though she seemed more interested in the datapad than the answer.

Jules narrowed her eyes and again glanced around the room. The five other people were all silent as they stood at the machines, recording things down onto datapads and occasionally adjusting things that Jules couldn't see.

"I don't think I caught your name," she muttered distractedly.

As she looked back she saw the turian staring at her blankly, "My name is Doctor Aegina. What is the last thing you remember?"

"A turian doctor?" Jules ignored the question again, "Wasn't a lot of them in my day, back then turians were either soldiers or mercenaries. Well done for breaking the stereotype."

Doctor Aegina blinked, "What is the last thing you remember?"

Jules wasn't about to tell her that her last memory was sitting in a dilapidated park with Liara, reminiscing about the war, moping about the state of the galaxy and generally feeling sorry for herself. She thought she could remember getting back to the headquarters but she couldn't be sure and she sure as hell couldn't remember how she had gotten here. Had Liara been with her? Did they have her paralysed on some operating table too? She frowned as she strained to remember something, anything.

"Okay," the doctor finally relented with a sigh, "let's try something easier: what's your name?"

"What?" Jules looked at her incredulously, "Is this a trick question?"

"No. What is your name?"

"You don't know who I am? I find it very hard to believe that you would go to the trouble of kidnapping me if you don't even know who I am."

" _I_ know who you are," she explained calmly, "I need to know if _you_ know who you are."

"Seriously?"

"Answer the question, please."

Jules sighed, trying to buy time was going to be difficult with this one, she suspected, "Juliet Shepard, you've probably heard of me."

"Thank you," she replied impassively, before looking back down at the datapad.

"Well you told me yours, it was only fair."

The doctor didn't act as though she had heard her, "I'm going to ask you some more questions, Shepard, while I do my colleagues will monitor your brain functions. You may experience some side-effects but I don't want you to worry."

"Sweet of you," Jules muttered, she watched as two of the scientists began adjusting some of the wires and felt a brief flutter of anxiety rush through her.

"If you're ready we'll begin."

"Wait!" Jules shouted suddenly and Doctor Aegina actually looked up from her datapad long enough to meet her eye, "That's it? You haven't even given me a vague explanation about where I am or what the hell is going on and you expect me just to lie here and cooperate with you?"

The doctor sighed and again the datapad became of more interest to her, "I can't see that you have much choice."

"Just tell me one thing," Jules snapped, "what happened to Liara?"

…

Tevos had managed to release herself from Liara's grip, which had been impressively strong considering she was recovering from three bullet wounds and a deep gash across her arm where a fourth had grazed her.

Despite this, the asari was now sitting upright on the bed, ignoring the protests of Rhys – the quarian doctor – as she stared Tevos down coldly.

"Do you really expect me to believe you know nothing about this?" she demanded, blue eyes glittering intently, "Shepard was kidnapped right outside the doors of your headquarters! Why didn't your security intervene?"

"I don't know," Tevos admitted, though she planned to find out, "I want to find Shepard as much as you do, we _are_ on the same side."

"Are we?" Liara folded her arms and glared, though that may have been to disguise the way she winced as her shoulder moved.

"You have my word," Tevos told her, "I brought Shepard here because I need her on this mission, the last thing I want is for any harm to come to her. Now tell me, why did you attack the paramedics?"

Liara hesitated. Her dazzling eyes were still narrowed but she seemed to relent a little, "I saw one of them was carrying a gun. He wouldn't let me go with her in the ambulance, I could tell something was wrong."

"And your first instinct was to fling him ten-foot across the street into a crowd of journalists? Remind me not to get on your bad side," they both looked sideways at Rhys where he was tending to the gash on Liara's arm. Feeling their eyes on him, he looked up and smiled, "Oh, sorry. You carry on, forget I spoke."

Tevos turned back to Liara, "Do you have any idea who they were? Did any of them say anything?"

Liara gazed down at the floor for a moment, "There _was_ something. One of the medics who was tending to Jules, he was scanning her implants, he said they would be worth an army."

"Worth an army," Tevos repeated slowly, "then it's her implants they want," she wasn't entirely surprised, she had known that bringing Shepard back was likely to stir up a lot of unhealthy interest in her. She had thought she had taken better steps to protect her.

Liara closed her eyes, "I should have stopped them."

"It was three against one, my dear, you were lucky not to be killed," Rhys muttered as he finished seeing to her arm.

"Only because I'm one hundred years out of practice."

"Hm," he smiled, seeming faintly amused, "not to worry, a few months of training and you'll be back to being the force of nature the legends talk about."

"We don't have a few months, if they remove Jules' implants she'll die."

"We will find her," Tevos assured her calmly, "the ambulance can't just have vanished, we must be able to find out where it went. And we know why she's been taken. Someone clearly wants to sell her implants in order to fund an army."

Liara shrugged and shook her head, "But who?"

Tevos sighed heavily, "I think I might have an idea."


	9. Coup

_Chapter Nine - Coup_

Tavia gazed down at Commander Shepard, hero of the Reaper War, as she lay paralysed on the table, giggling like a schoolgirl.

"Oh doctor," she chuckled happily, "I don't know what you've done but it's made everything go a bit… floaty," something on the ceiling seemed to be of particular interest to her, something only she could see, no doubt, "am I drunk?"

"No," Tavia replied calmly, "it's all part of the test, don't worry," she exchanged a look with Michael and he nodded and jabbed a few controls on his console. They were manipulating Shepard's implants remotely for now, Tavia had developed a device capable of it from the first scans T'Carra had sent her and so far it was working perfectly.

They had complete control over every implant in Shepard's body. They could disable and reactivate each one individually whenever they wanted. It was better than Tavia could have hoped for.

The implant they were currently affecting seemed to have something to do with Shepard's ability to reason. And her ability not to giggle helplessly at every little thing.

Still, her current state was making her more willing to answer Tavia's questions, at least. It was actually getting harder to shut her up than to get her talking.

"Where were you born, Shepard?" she asked idly, as she continued to record her observations on her datapad.

"Mindoir," the human replied wistfully, "it was prettier back then. You know they've built cities on it now? Back in my day it was all fields and clifftops," she sighed heavily and smiled, "it was a farming colony, then they rebuilt it after the slaver attack and everything was different. Then they rebuilt it again after the war and now it's all skyscrapers and shopping malls…" she trailed off and sighed heavily.

"Her memory still seems fine," Tavia observed, "though we had better do one more to be sure. Shepard, who was behind the attack on the Citadel in 2183?"

"Ah," Shepard began earnestly, "do you want the long answer or the short one? You see, some people would blame the geth, but they were being led by Saren, but he was indoctrinated by Sovereign. But even Sovereign was only following orders, if you want to go right to the top you can always blame Harbinger. Personally though, I blame the Citadel Council for not believing me about Saren when I warned them, _months_ before it happened. Not that I'm still bitter about it or anything! You know, Liara thinks that I should let go of all that stuff, leave it in the past. But honestly, I think I've got _more_ pissed off about as I've got older. Do you think that's normal?"

Tavia blinked, "Yes her memory is definitely fine. Let's try… that one next," she indicated to another of the implants on the scans they had taken but Michael hesitated slightly.

"Doctor… I'm not sure-"

"Michael," she stated warningly.

"Michael!" Shepard repeated his name in delight as she rolled her eyes up to look upside-down at him where he was standing at the head of the operating table, "A salarian called Michael? Ha! That's new! That would be like having… oh I don't know… a krogan called Mordin!"

She descended again into laughter and for a split-second Tavia thought she saw one of Shepard's fingers twitch. Frowning, she moved down the table and took hold of Shepard's hand.

"Can you feel that?" she asked.

Shepard just snorted, "Feel what?"

She let the hand drop and moved back, "Fine, let's continue the test."

"Wait, wait, wait," Shepard cut in suddenly, "look, I've been good, I've answered every question you've asked, but you _still_ haven't told me where Liara is."

"She's not here," Tavia replied bluntly.

"Well I can _see_ that. Urgh," she rolled her eyes dramatically, which was about the most expressive thing she could do under the circumstances, "alright. If you won't answer that question, how about this one?" she was still slurring her words like a drunkard as she met Tavia's eye, "I know why you're doing all these tests. I'm sure my implants must be worth a fortune these days and you probably all stand to get _very_ rich off them, and I realise that you're not planning to let me out of this room alive. So why don't you just tell me _one_ thing? Who is it who's been lying to me this whole time? Hm? Who sold me to you?"

…

"ARIA!"

Aria just about had time to register Tevos' scream before she was hit with a biotic attack so strong she was thrown backwards out of her chair and smashed against the wall of the headquarters' cafeteria where she had been sitting alone.

"Shit! What the hell?" she yelled as she fell five feet back to the floor and scrambled to her feet, only just managing to erect her barrier in time to deflect the second attack that came at her.

Tevos was glowing with biotic energy, her face twisted into a snarl that actually made Aria laugh for a moment, "Well, well, look who found her backbone."

There was a yell of frustration and a shockwave smashed through Aria's barrier and made her stagger before she regained herself and fought back, unleashing a wave of energy that hit Tevos like a slap in the face and forced her briefly to the floor.

"Do you want to explain what the hell this is about?" she demanded as Tevos stood, seemingly unfazed by the fall and still seething with anger.

"Where is Shepard?" she asked loudly.

"How the hell should I know?" Aria snapped, "I'm not her mother!"

She gasped as she was suddenly thrown back against the wall again and held there by a biotic field that slowly began to press against her chest, compressing her lungs until breathing became almost impossible.

"I am not a fool, Aria," Tevos yelled as she advanced, pouring more power into the field with every step until Aria felt her ribs buckling under the pressure, "I knew you had an ulterior motive for helping me, I knew you were plotting something. From the moment I mentioned Shepard you were so desperate to get her on board."

"Yes," Aria snarled through the pain as she tried to struggle against Tevos' hold. She'd never have thought the old matriarch had this in her, "because I thought she would stop you from getting us all killed!"

"Then why has she just been kidnapped by armed men who seem to think her implants are worth an army? The kind of army that might help you get your revenge on the HTA, for example!"

Another wave of energy pressed against her and Aria choked, prompting enough fury – and pure survival instinct – to summon an attack of her own that forced Tevos back, the two biotic fields collided and an explosion shook the room, sending Tevos somersaulting backwards to land in a heap while Aria was thrown sideways to the floor.

She didn't give herself time to appreciate the air flooding freely into her lungs again as she instead grabbed a table with her biotics and flung it across the room where it was promptly deflected by Tevos and clattered against one of the walls.

Both asari struggled to their feet and the battle continued.

"Tevos! I don't have a clue what you are talking about!" Aria yelled as she launched a shockwave against Tevos' barrier which barely made the matriarch blink, "I'm assuming that either you've got your wires crossed or this is the start of another fucking breakdown," she said it mockingly and soon had to dodge as the table came flying back at her this time.

"What has happened to you Aria? Selling Shepard to raise an army? That hardly seems your style!"

Tevos was advancing on her across the room, throwing attacks at her which Aria was rapidly deflecting, "Have you stopped to consider that there might be a reason for that?"

Tevos was close to her now and Aria was tiring of their biotic dance, through a mixture of rage and frustration she waited until the matriarch was within reach and aimed a punch squarely at her jaw.

Completely unexpectedly, Tevos caught the blow, grasping Aria's wrist with more strength than Aria would have thought her capable and before she had time to react, Tevos' other hand came up to her neck and she found herself once against pressed against the wall, this time held by brute force rather than biotics.

"Where. Is. Shepard?"

Aria took one look at the steely determination in Tevos' silver eyes and frowned, the demented bitch actually looked ready to kill her, "I don't know," she snarled through gritted teeth.

"Leave her Tevos. She's telling the truth."

Tevos' grip didn't loosen as she snapped her head round to stare at Adarna as she entered, breezing carelessly through the door and granting them an almost disinterested glance. For a moment there was silence, broken only by Aria's angry gasps for breath, then Tevos frowned sharply.

"What are you talking about?"

Adarna settled herself on a chair and looked at her calmly, " _I_ sold Shepard. To an arms dealer. In return they will outfit us with a fleet, fully equipped and large enough to take back the Athena Nebula, no matter how many gangs we find operating there."

A strange silence fell as both Tevos and Aria stared, eyes widened at the calm asari sitting in front of them who seemed utterly oblivious to their surprise.

"You have got to be kidding me," Aria muttered through the choke hold before Tevos suddenly released her, almost as an afterthought.

She coughed as she broke free, massaging her neck in annoyance though she was quick to recover and stand at Tevos' side. There had been something strange about Adarna from the start, something unsettling behind her eyes. Aria wouldn't rule out the possibility that she was more dangerous than she looked.

"Tell me this isn't true," Tevos was saying carefully, she was peering at Adarna like she was unsure who was sitting in front of her. Adarna merely blinked at her.

"Going on an eight-month long hunt for Shepard was a waste of time and money," she stated, "I told you so in the beginning. But since you insisted I thought we should at least find a way to profit from it."

"By selling her to an arms dealer?" Tevos exclaimed, "Having Shepard on this project was worth the time it took to find her! She brings not only publicity but she increases our chances of success. Shepard knows how to rally people to her cause, she knows how to beat the odds, how to negotiate in impossible situations, we _need_ her!"

"Oh," Adarna rolled her eyes a little and chuckled as though at some private joke, "you really believe that, don't you? Look, even supposing Shepard had something special during the war, it's long gone now. You've seen her, she's a cynical, tired old human long past her prime. Those implants, on the other hand, are one of a kind. Admit it, Tevos, she is worth more to us dead than she ever would be alive."

"You really are a fucking idiot aren't you?" Aria muttered, prompting them both to look at her, "If you think Shepard is worth less than the implants that keep her breathing that just shows how ill-informed you are. Not that I'm surprised, after all, where the fuck were you during the war? On the front lines with Shepard? Somehow I doubt it."

Adarna smiled at her coldly, "You're quite right, Aria. I wasn't wasting time and lives fighting an impossibly strong enemy. I was on Thessia, helping the matriarchs safeguard the future of the asari people. A future that _Tevos_ ," she looked sharply at the matriarch, "threw away when she went against their orders and gave Shepard the prothean beacon."

Adarna's eyes had turned to venom and Tevos bristled beneath them as Aria looked at her in surprise, "Wait, you went _against_ the matriarchs when you gave her the beacon?"

Tevos glanced sideways at her and hesitated briefly, "Thessia was falling," she said, as though she needed to explain herself, "I knew Shepard needed the Catalyst to complete the Crucible. I thought the beacon could help."

"You were right," Aria shrugged, "why do you look so guilty about it? Any why have you let Shepard carry on blaming you all this time?"

"Perhaps because she knows that she betrayed her own people," Adarna supplied pleasantly, "you see, the matriarchs were never planning to _win_ the war, merely to _survive_ it. Once the reapers had gone the survivors could have used the knowledge in that beacon to rebuild Thessia."

"Asari philosophy," Aria agreed slowly, "why bother solving a problem when you can just outlive it? I suppose you thought that if you sat back and let the reapers kill the rest of us they would just forget about Thessia?"  
"The matriarchs were deluded," Tevos cut in, "no one was going to survive the war. Keeping the beacon for ourselves was never going to save us."

"Well, we'll never know now, will we?" Adarna snapped, "But I do know I'm not going to let you jeopardise the future of our people again. When we retake Thessia, we will do it properly."

"With an army?" Tevos challenged, "Going against the HTA's restrictions."

"If you adhere to every restriction they place on us it's unlikely any of us will come back from the Athena Nebula alive. Which is no doubt what they are hoping for."

"You're paranoid."

"And you're naïve. Pandering to the requests of an organisation that has barely been in power for two centuries and is run by clueless children! Where's your self-respect gone?"

"And how does selling Shepard for profit contribute to your 'self-respect' Adarna?"

"Do you two ever shut up?" Aria was still flexing her shoulders from where she had been hurled against the wall and was becoming increasingly bored by the bickering. She stepped in between them and faced Tevos, "Look, she's insane, why are you still talking to her? You were happy to come in here and attack me with no evidence, but she confesses and you're just standing there."

Tevos blinked, she was riled and clearly had more she wanted to say but instead she reached for her omni-tool, "Security," she said into the interface, "I need a team in here now," as she clicked the interface off again she narrowed her eyes and stepped past Aria towards Adarna, "I still don't understand, you must have known I would never agree to this."

Adarna merely shrugged, "I wasn't planning for you to be around to have an opinion."

Aria saw Tevos' eyes flash as she moved closer, "Where's Shepard?"

A sly, supercilious smile spread on Adarna's lips that made Aria's skin itch. Her arrogance was beginning to grate and Aria let her biotics flare as she stepped forward, "I can get it out of her if you like," she snarled but Tevos held out an arm to stop her.

"No. We'll let the HTA deal with her."

"Are you being serious? You're going to hand her to the HTA?"

"Yes. We are going to do everything by the book."

"A philosophy that will guarantee the failure of this entire mission," Adarna muttered dryly.

The security team arrived and Tevos turned to give them a cursory glance before nodding to Adarna, "take her somewhere secure, then contact the HTA and tell them to come and arrest her."

For a moment the security team stood there, motionless. Then one of them turned to Adarna, "Ma'am?" she asked calmly.

Before either Tevos or Aria could question her, Adarna had smiled softly and stood, the fabric of her dress rippled with the motion, "Deal with them, Sergeant," she told the officer pleasantly, "And… try to make it look like they attacked you first."

She turned her back and glided towards the door as the squad of heavily armed asari suddenly drew their weapons and aimed them, not at Adarna, but at Tevos and Aria. As Tevos stared, Aria let out a heavy sigh.

"Oh isn't this just fucking brilliant?"

…

"Can you see anything yet, Shepard?"

"No," Jules snarled through gritted teeth and focussed on staying calm as the sudden blindness she had been subjected to, continued. It was only mildly worse than the fog that had filled her brain during the first part of the test – though admittedly she had been playing up the drunken act a bit.

She had thought that playing the fool for a while might have made the doctor more inclined to answer her questions, but the turian was a stubborn one and Jules was no closer to knowing who had betrayed her or where the hell Liara was.

She was finding it increasingly difficult to lie there and endure the darkness and was well aware that her current escape plan might be difficult to pull off if she couldn't see anything.

"Look," she said calmly, "I think we've all worked out what that implant does, so could you _please_ turn it back on now?"

"It may also have other functions," the emotionless turian tones of Doctor Aegina replied and Jules sighed. She couldn't help wondering if the dour doctor actually enjoyed her work or if she was as heartless and cold as she seemed. She also couldn't decide which was more unsettling.

"Do you want me to tell you my name again?" she asked dryly.

"That won't be necessary," Aegina replied, "it's obvious your memory is still functioning properly."

Jules had no idea if any of her implants actually did affect her memory, but she really hoped to be out of here before she found out.

"Doctor…" she heard the nervous voice of the young salarian with the human name, "perhaps we should move on to the next one, I'm not sure we can learn much more about this implant."

That must have been the fourth time she had heard the boy speak up for her. He seemed to be becoming increasingly uncomfortable about what was happening and Jules wondered if that meant he could be an ally.

"Very well," she heard Doctor Aegina sigh and then winced as a sharp pain shot through her temples. The moment it dulled, her vision began to return and she blinked as colour flooded back to her. The cold face of Doctor Aegina was the first thing to come into focus, yellow eyes staring down at her without emotion.

"This one next, I think," she muttered, indicating to something on her datapad which Jules couldn't see, "let's hope we learn something more interesting this time."

She almost sounded bored, as though Jules' sudden blindness hadn't been entertaining enough. That thought, along with the unsettling knowledge that this demented turian had a device that could manipulate her implants with the touch of a button, made her skin crawl.

She felt another pain throb at the back of her skull and ground her teeth quietly as she waited for whatever the next implant would do to her. It took every ounce of self-control she had not to clench her fists.

After all, she didn't want Aegina to know that the paralytic drugs had started wearing off.

…

Aria and Tevos crouched behind the table they had overturned to use as cover, ducking every time a biotic wave or a hail of bullets came flying at them.

"So, any ideas?" Aria muttered irritably as she tried to get a look at their attackers without getting her head blown off. There were eight of them, all asari, biotically trained and armed to the teeth.

"I've tried contacting another security team," Tevos said as she stared at her omni-tool, "none of them are responding."

"Are you telling me Adarna has _every_ security guard in the building on her side?"

There was a pause and a sigh, "Come to think of it, it was Adarna who hired them all."

"Oh great," Aria spat as she sent a shockwave blindly over the table, "and who did you hire? The scientists?"

"Yes… and the clerical staff."

"Great. I'm sure they'll be a _real_ help to us!"

…

In the medical room, Liara winced but otherwise ignored the pain as she struggled into her clothes.

"I am _not_ happy about this, Doctor T'Soni! I hope you realise that!"

She smiled to herself as she turned to see the quarian doctor standing in front of her, hands on his hips as his golden eyes glowed brightly. He wasn't really capable of looking menacing though, there was too much kindness apparent within him.

"Listen, Doctor… I'm sorry, I don't think you told me your name."

"Rhys," he replied, "Rhys Corvo, but just Rhys will be fine."  
That was right, quarians didn't have impossibly long names anymore, Liara remembered.

"Rhys," she took a step closer, "I have to find Jules, she was already ill when they took her if they've-" she cut herself off and closed her eyes briefly, "I just have to find her, I don't have time to wait."

The quarian opened his mouth as though to speak and his thin eyebrows narrowed into an expression that was somewhere between frustration and hopelessness. The other medical staff had protested her leaving as well though they had soon relented when they realised how determined she was. Rhys was the only one still trying to persuade her but he seemed to be running out of arguments.

"You've been shot _four_ times!" he finally exclaimed.

Liara just smiled a little, "I've survived worse, Doctor, believe me."

She reached for her jacket and gingerly shrugged it on over her injured shoulder. Rhys watched her for a moment and then sighed heavily.

"You don't even know where Shepard is, how are you planning to find her?"

"I'm… not sure," she admitted, "but I think T'Carra is involved in this somehow, if I find her she might be able to tell me more."

"Hmm," Rhys frowned softly, "she hasn't been seen since Shepard disappeared."

"Well she didn't leave in the ambulance," Liara carefully zipped up her jacket and flexed her shoulder as much as she dared, "hopefully she's still in the building."

Rhys folded his arms, "I still don't think it's a good idea."

"Perhaps you should listen to him," Liara looked behind her where Ereba and Grunt were standing, they had both entered the room after Tevos had left and Ereba was looking at her in particular concern, "maybe it would be better to let Tevos handle things, don't you think so Grunt?"

When the krogan didn't reply, Ereba elbowed him in the side, "Grunt!"

He looked at her and shrugged, "What?"

"Tell Liara she would better off staying here."

Grunt blinked at Liara for a moment and then grinned, "No chance, I've seen what happens to people who try to get in her way."

Before Liara had the chance to smile at him, everyone's omni-tools suddenly bleeped and they all looked down to see an incoming call being sent to everyone in the building.

"This is Aria T'Loak," her voice came simultaneously across several of the interfaces, she was shouting over background noise that sounded like fighting, "Adarna is staging a coup against Tevos and has the _entire_ security department on her side. Do _not_ obey _any_ orders they give you and do _not_ surrender if they ask. Attack any security that you see on sight. If Adarna wants a war then she can have one, just make sure you all pick the right side."

As the transmission cut off, everyone in the room looked at each other before Grunt let out a heavy sigh, "Well, that doesn't sound good."

…

Tevos stared at Aria as she shut off her omni-tool and launched another brief attack at the security team who still had them pinned down.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded in disbelief, "There are _hundreds_ of security scattered throughout the whole building, now they're going to be attacking members of my staff!"

"Good," Aria retorted, "keeps them out of our hair."

"I beg your pardon?"

Aria smirked, "Sorry, I've been spending too much time with Shepard. The point is, if they're all killing each other then there's less of them coming after us."

"You'll pay for this, Aria," Tevos warned, "if even _one_ member of my staff is harmed because of you-"

"Hey, what are you getting at me for?" she snapped, "I'm not the one who ordered your own security to turn on you. You know, I never liked Adarna but I didn't realise she was a fucking psychopath," she muttered it almost absently as she peered around the side of the table and then growled in frustration as she had to duck back to avoid a hail of bullets.

"She was probably planning to do it more quietly than this," Tevos mused grimly, "get rid of Shepard, discredit me and then miraculously turn up with a large fleet and lot of money. It wouldn't have been hard for her to take over after that," she stopped and sighed, "I should have seen this coming."

There was another angry growl as Aria sent a shockwave over the top of the table, "You can wallow later Tevos! We've got people to kill!"

…

Liara and Grunt emerged from the medical room, having ordered Ereba and the medical staff to stay where they were. Liara had, of course, ignored Rhys' demands for her to stay behind as well.

"There's reports of fighting on every floor," Grunt said as he looked at his omni-tool, "what the hell is Aria playing at?"

Liara shrugged helplessly, "Unless she can tell me where Jules is I don't really care," they both instinctively ducked as they heard gunfire, before they realised it was coming from the floor above, "I can't believe they would actually open fire on people," she muttered. As she looked round she saw Grunt looking up at the ceiling, his icy eyes narrowed into a glare.

"Egret's up there somewhere."

"You go," she told him, "I'll find Aria."

It didn't take her long. She followed the sounds of shouting down a corridor and then ducked abruptly through an open doorway as a biotic explosion shook the walls several doors down. She crouched – ignoring the dull pain at her stomach as her wound threatened to reopen – and peered around the doorframe.

One of the doors further down the corridor had been flung off its hinges and a group of asari lay dead or unconscious on the floor. As Liara watched, Aria stepped out of the room, flexing her shoulders slightly as the last traces of biotic energy dissipated across her body. She moved over to one of the asari who was still alive and whimpering slightly. She was clearly in no condition to pose a threat but that didn't stop Aria from crouching, taking hold of her head with both hands and snapping her neck in such a swift motion it made Liara grimace.

"Come on," she heard Aria say as she stripped the dead asari of her weapons, "let's get to Adarna before she can cause any more damage."

"Before _she_ can cause any more damage?" behind her, Tevos stepped through the broken door; although she seemed relatively unfazed by the corpses littered at her feet, she was staring Aria down coldly, "Because of you this entire building is descending into chaos!"

Aria just sighed as she reloaded the rifle she had claimed, "Look, riots are the perfect distraction in situations like this. Trust me, I have done this before."

"This is not Omega, Aria!"

"Really?" she laughed and threw a glance upwards at the sound of gunfire, "Could've fooled me. You know, this place is starting to grow on me."

"I'd rather you didn't make jokes while people are dying."  
"Urgh," Aria rolled her eyes dramatically, "and I'd rather not stand here arguing. Now where would Adarna have gone?"

Tevos frowned and folded her arms, "My office probably, she can oversee everything from there."

"Good. Then let's go."

Liara watched as they both disappeared down the corridor and then she stood gingerly. Carefully, she pulled up her clothes to look at her wound. It was still a messy and haphazard patch job but there was no new bleeding and the pain was easy enough to ignore.

She activated her omni-tool and contacted Grunt.

"Have you found Egret yet?" she asked as she stepped out into the corridor, double-checked there was no one around and then walked over to the dead asari that Aria had left there.

"No," his deep voice came back over the comm, "it's chaos up here, people are saying that Adarna ordered the security to attack after Aria's transmission. She must have gone crazy."

"Don't worry about that," Liara told him as she bent down and stripped one of the corpses of its weapons, "just help whoever you can. Tevos and Aria have gone to deal with Adarna, I'm going to try and find T'Carra, I need her to tell me where Jules is."

"What if she doesn't know?"

"Then I'll find someone who does. Let me know when you find Egret," she shut off her omni-tool and continued to search the bodies. She clipped a pistol to her belt and armed herself with a rifle before grabbing all the spare ammo she could carry. She was _not_ going to be caught out again like she had been with those 'medics' – or whoever they really were.

She moved swiftly and quietly through the building, though she could hear the fighting as it raged she didn't encounter much of it. She paused at a junction where two corridors intersected and pressed herself back against the wall as she heard gunfire nearby.

She peered carefully around the corner and saw two groups firing at each other, each had pulled tables and furniture across the corridor to use as cover. The group with their backs to her were the security staff while the others looked like normal employees. They seemed remarkably well trained in combat though, Liara wondered if they were squad members assigned to one of Tevos' ships.

Among them she could see a batarian who seemed to be giving the orders, though they weren't making much progress.

"Dammit!" she heard him yell, "We need to get a clear shot!"

Liara took that as a cue and leaned fully around the corner. With their backs to her, she had a clear view of the security team and managed to take aim before they even knew she was there. Two died instantly, shot in the back of the head, as the others turned to face her she deployed a singularity above their heads, ripping them off their feet and giving the other group a clear shot.

She heard the batarian ordering his people to fire and she didn't wait to see them finish it as she ducked past the corridor and continued her search.

She found T'Carra in an empty office. The room was dark – which was the only reason Liara had noticed it – and when she peered inside, she saw the doctor sitting alone at a bench, staring into a glass which was trembling unsteadily in her grasp.

"Your hands are still shaking," Liara murmured as she walked through the shadows, casually resting her rifle on her shoulder. T'Carra jumped a little and looked up, her eyes glistened blearily and as she sighed Liara could smell the alcohol on her breath.

A few corridors away there was a thud and a scream and T'Carra looked sharply over Liara's shoulder, "What's going on?"

Liara glanced calmly in the same direction as several gunshots were also fired, "Adarna has arranged a coup against Tevos, she must have been gathering support for a while. I think she had planned to take over quietly but things have taken a more dramatic turn. I suppose no one counted on me when they planned to kidnap Shepard. I can only assume the two are connected."

T'Carra shifted uncomfortably as Liara kicked back a stool and joined her, the fighting was growing steadily louder outside but she ignored it, "I'd go easy on that, if I were you," she nodded at the glass, "you'll find that guilt doesn't drown so easily."

T'Carra paused to stare at her "Guilt?"

Liara didn't elaborate. Instead she leaned back and folded her arms, glancing around the room as though she expected to find something of interest to her, "I can understand why some people might want to follow Adarna," she said absently, "they probably think she has a better chance of getting to Thessia than Tevos does. I've known her type before, persuasive, determined… ruthless. I could forgive someone for being taken in by her, I could even forgive someone for being too weak to stand up to her. But if Shepard dies because of her plans, I would find it a lot harder to be so understanding."

She turned to look T'Carra right in the eye now and saw the asari blinking at her warily, "Where did they take her?" she asked, her voice steadier than she had thought it would be.

T'Carra frowned, "How would I know?"

"Doctor," Liara leaned forwards, "your treatments made her ill, she always felt worse after seeing you. I saw the look on your face when you saw her this morning, you weren't surprised you were terrified! And I _do_ know guilt when I see it. Now I'm sure Adarna convinced you that you were doing what was for the best but she only cares about profit and power, you are a _doctor!_ Tell me where she is!"

…

She strode out of the office five minutes later just as her omni-tool bleeped. She looked down at the interface and answered.

"Grunt?"

"I've got Egret!" he shouted, she could heard the sounds of fighting very close to him in the background and quickened her pace as she headed towards the nearest stairwell.

"Is she alright?"

"Yeah. Better than the idiots who were trying to kill her, anyway. There any word on Shepard?"

"Adarna sold her to an arms dealer."

"What? Why?"

"Doesn't matter, just meet me on the ground floor, I know where they took her," she shut off the interface and broke into a run.

When she arrived at the reception area she found it deserted. There were signs of fighting, behind the high desk, chairs were overturned and datapads were strewn across the floor. Broken glass crunched under Liara's feet as she surveyed the carnage but there were no bodies so the staff must have managed to escape.

As she looked out through the glass doors she could see vehicles were parked up on the street and armed officers seemed to be cordoning off the area. She ducked carefully out of view behind the desk and waited.

After a moment she heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Grunt and Egret. It was clear they had both been in a fight, Grunt had acquired several weapons while Egret was bearing a few bruises and a gash across her forehead. Her clothes were ripped in places and her purple eyes were set into a determined glare that Liara hadn't seen on her before.

She beckoned them over when they saw her and all three of them crouched to watch what was going on outside.

"They've got the entrance covered," Liara murmured as she nodded through the doors, "we won't be able to sneak past them."

"It's the HTA," Egret said as she got a look at the uniforms they were wearing, "they must have heard about the fighting."

Liara frowned softly and watched one of the officers directing a group of the others. They seemed to be planning to storm the building.

"C'mon," she muttered, "we'll go out the back way."

"Wait," Egret caught her by the arm as she made to stand, "why are we hiding from them?"

Liara looked at her, "Because I don't know who we can trust. And we don't have time to explain things to them, Grunt and I will go and rescue Jules, you stay down here, it should be safe for now."

"No, I'm coming with you."

"It's too dangerous, it's better if you-"

"I said I'm coming with you," Egret cut her off sharply, then stepped round her and headed towards the door, pausing briefly to look back when she realised she wasn't being followed, "come on, I thought we were in a hurry."

As she moved away, Liara turned to give Grunt a questioning look but he merely shrugged and chuckled.

"You heard her."

* * *

 ** _Am I the only one who's always wanted to see a fight between Aria and Tevos? I think I've had that scene in my head for about two years..._**


	10. Rescue

_Chapter Ten – Rescue_

"OW!"

The sudden exclamation drew Tavia's attention away from her datapad and she looked down to see Shepard wincing uncomfortably.

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Shepard repeated irritably, "You've just disabled my biotic implant!"

Tavia cocked her head curiously, "You can tell?"

"Well of course I can tell! Would _you_ be able to tell if I gouged your eyes out?"

Tavia wasn't sure that she understood the comparison but she paid it no mind as she returned to the datapad and continued to record her observations, "Don't worry, it's just part of the test."

"It hurts," Shepard's voice was strained, quiet like she didn't want to admit what she was saying and Tavia looked down again to see she had her teeth gritted. She was breathing heavily and her face was contorted into a grimace.

"Where?"

"My head, where do you think? I can't _feel_ anywhere else!"

Tavia squinted slightly and looked up at the screen to read her vital signs. Everything seemed normal.

"I don't see why it would be causing you any discomfort."

"Are you a biotic, Doctor?"

Tavia looked at her and blinked, "No."

"Didn't think so. Biotics are like an invisible extra limb, a sixth sense you almost forget is there. But when it suddenly gets cut off, it _hurts_. Turn it back on!"

She was becoming more agitated and Tavia frowned. She had never seen this reaction before in the other biotics she had experimented on, though Shepard's biotic implant was unique and more powerful than most.

"Doctor…" Michael sounded nervous again and Tavia looked over to see him fidgeting, wringing his long fingers together as he blinked at her, "Maybe we should turn it back on. If she's in pain she might not be able to focus on giving us accurate information," as he spoke he was throwing Shepard sideways glances. She was gasping now, her face was scrunched up in agony and each strangled noise seemed to be making Michael even more uncomfortable. Perhaps Shepard wasn't the only one who would struggle to focus.

"Your growing concern for the subject is commendable," she said dryly, "but perhaps you've forgotten why we are here? There's more at stake than her welfare."

"I-" he glanced at Shepard again, "I don't see how her suffering like this is helpful."

"Really? I'm personally finding this reaction fascinating, unless you've seen something like it before?" he fidgeted but didn't reply. Still, as the noises Shepard was making grew more distressed, he became more unsettled, "Oh very well," she finally conceded, "reactivate the implant for now," it wasn't like Shepard's biotics would help her while she was paralysed anyway.

Michael complied so quickly Tavia could almost have thought he was the one in pain and she silently despaired of him, the boy had a lot to learn, she wondered if she would regret indulging him.

Once it was done Shepard gradually seemed to relax, her breathing calmed and they watched as a smile spread slowly across her face.

"Well," she muttered calmly, "that was stupid."

All of a sudden Tavia couldn't breathe. Something invisible seemed to slam into her, knocking the datapad from her hand as she was forced back against the wall. The air was crushed from her chest and she felt the tingle of biotic energy rippling across her body, tightening around her muscles like bonds holding her in place until the pressure became pain and she couldn't move.

There were a few startled screams, a crash and an annoyed yell and suddenly Shepard was in front of her, fist raised and glowing with biotic power that was radiating off her in waves. Tavia saw blood dripping down her arm from where she had ripped out the wires that had held her, "You know," she snarled, a dangerous glint in her turquoise eyes, "I really didn't think a clever girl like you would fall for that."

Tavia felt a glower spread across her face – the only part of her she was still capable of moving – and she demanded: "How?"

Shepard smiled, "All part of the test. You wanted to know about my implants didn't you? One of their functions is to counteract the effects of certain drugs, paralytic ones, for example. Doctor Chakwas always said it was a nightmare operating on me, she had to give me three times the normal dose of everything just to keep me under. I suppose you can add that to your notes now," she glanced down at Tavia's fallen datapad distastefully.

The biotic stasis field closed a little tighter and Tavia found she couldn't even struggle. She glanced over Shepard's shoulder and saw her team all standing motionless. Michael was still holding the device for manipulating Shepard's implants but he seemed to have completely forgotten about it as he stood gaping at what he was seeing.

"M- Michael," she struggled to speak through the force that was pressing against her neck, "s- stop her!"

He didn't seem to understand what she meant as he blinked and frowned, but Shepard must have figured it out as she turned sharply and held out her hand.

"Michael, give me that," she nodded to the device and he looked down at it oddly, like he was wondering how it had got there, "give it to me, Michael," she repeated. Her biotics must still have been weakened by T'Carra's poisoning otherwise she would just have ripped it from him. Tavia saw that her fist was shaking with the effort of maintaining the stasis field, she probably wouldn't be able to hold it for much longer…

"Michael!" Tavia snarled, "You could kill her with the touch of a button, just do it!" she choked as she felt the stasis field spread, moving up her neck to press against her jaw, clamping it shut so that she could do nothing more than squeal in annoyance.

"Listen Michael," Shepard was saying calmly, "I'm going to bet you've never killed anyone before. To be honest it's been a long time since I've killed anyone in close combat but I'm still sure that I won't hesitate as long as you have if you give me reason to. So for your own sake, give me the device," she held out her hand further but Michael still didn't move, "now!"

Michael's reaction was quick, he brought the device up to his other hand but rather than handing it to Shepard he jabbed at the interface and went for one of the controls.

Tavia lost sight of what happened after that. The stasis field suddenly dissipated and she dropped to the floor, gasping as air rushed back to her lungs. She heard a wave of biotics being unleashed and someone yelped as the walls shook. Another attack followed almost instantly and she saw the rest of her team hit the floor as equipment and surgical instruments went flying.

As she struggled to sit up she saw Shepard crouching in the corner, paying no attention to anyone else as she gazed down at Michael's body. The salarian's neck had been snapped by the force of the shockwave and he lay limp and misshapen on the floor, his head twisted unnaturally off his neck as his black eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

"You know," Shepard muttered grimly, "I bet he was a really sweet boy before you got your talons on him," she leaned over and picked the device out from his hand before she stood. Her expression was stoic as she held up the device for Tavia to see, "I suppose I should be impressed," she muttered coldly, "even Miranda didn't have a remote control for my implants. Then again, Miranda had a conscience. You'll understand if I don't really want to give this back to you."

Her hand lit up again and the device hovered above her palm. Slowly she began to clench the hand into a fist and Tavia watched as the biotic energy began to warp and twist the metal before it eventually shattered and fell to the floor in pieces.

She swallowed and looked calmly into Shepard's gleaming eyes, "Are you going to kill me?"

…

The fighting in Tevos' headquarters still raged, but Aria and Tevos had reached the right floor without incident.

"See, I told you a riot was a good distraction," Aria muttered as they edged carefully through the open-plan office towards Tevos' door. Everything was quiet up here and it appeared to be deserted but much of the furniture lay overturned and it was clear they were picking their way through the aftermath of a fight. They just didn't know who had won.

"Don't make light of this, Aria," Tevos said warningly, "I won't forget your part in it all."

"Which part?" she asked innocently, "Saving you from those security guards? Or getting you here without a bullet through your skull? And that was after you attacked and threatened _me_ for something that I hadn't even done. I'm willing to accept your apology whenever you want to offer it, by the way."

"Oh be quiet," Tevos muttered as she stepped gingerly around a smashed desk that was stained with violet blood, "we don't have time for games."

"Couldn't agree more. So, are we going to deal with this lunatic or not?"

They came to a stop outside the office door and faced each other. Tevos eyed the rifle Aria was holding suspiciously, as though she was wondering what the asari was planning.

"Don't do _anything_ unless I tell you to, okay?" she warned carefully.

Aria smirked but said nothing.

Tevos slid the door open silently and they stepped inside. Adarna was sitting in Tevos' chair, gazing calmly at the screen in front of her, most likely showing security footage of the building. She was a picture of elegance as she sat statue-still with her legs neatly crossed and her chin resting delicately between her thumb and forefinger.

She didn't look up as they entered but instead sighed softly and moved to settle back into the chair, "Quite the mess we find ourselves in, isn't it?" she observed. Rather than seeming concerned about it, however, she merely looked a little annoyed.

"I'm guessing this wasn't part of the plan," Tevos mused distastefully, she clasped her hands loosely behind her back as she walked up to the desk and raised her brow expectantly for an answer. Behind her, Aria lingered with her rifle in hand.

A sad smile flickered on Adarna's lips, "I knew I shouldn't have trusted those arms dealers not to screw up their part. And I definitely should have factored Liara in, stupid girl was willing to die for Shepard, wasn't she?"

"Love does that," Aria muttered dryly. When they both looked her, she cleared her throat and shrugged, "or so I've heard."

Tevos turned back to Adarna, "Why did you order the security to attack? It seems a little… irrational, even taking in to account the rest of your actions."

Adarna smiled faintly and looked up to meet her eye, "Because it's the kind of thing people believe _you_ would do."

There was an uncomfortable silence as Tevos folded her arms and exchanged a glance with Aria, who merely shrugged and made a face.

"I'm not sure I follow," Tevos said slowly.

"Hmph," Adarna seemed amused, "I don't know if you've noticed but, you aren't very good at inspiring confidence in people these days, Tevos. You bend to the HTA's every whim and your project is funded by criminals," she cast Aria a glance, "nearly half of your staff put more faith in me than you. When people hear about this do you know what they will think? Tevos has finally snapped like we all knew she would, she must have had another breakdown, just like she did after the war."

A silver glint of anger passed through Tevos' eyes as she placed both hands on the desk and leaned across it, "My _'breakdown'_ was two hundred years ago and it was nothing like the reports. I am a far cry from the unstable mad woman that the press paints me as and you know it."

"Yes," she allowed, "but the public don't. They want to believe the rumours, it's more exciting if you're secretly insane. So, if I blame you for all of this, and you blame me, who do you think they're more likely to believe?"

"I suppose whoever's still alive," Aria muttered, she raised her rifle casually in one hand and pointed it towards Adarna, who stared down the barrel with little concern. Tevos was quick to intervene, however, placing a hand atop the rifle and pushing it back down.

"No," she said firmly, ignoring the frustrated sigh she got from Aria, "you can't get away with this, Adarna, there's too much evidence against you. You realise every one of those security staff will go to prison after this, do you think they'll all lie for you when a judge asks them who gave the order to attack?"

She shrugged indifferently, "I have their loyalty. I'm doing this for the good of the asari people, to get Thessia back, they'll understand that."

"Ri-ight," Aria drawled impatiently, "and it has nothing to do with you wanting to get your hands on all those juicy eezo deposits? You know, I've seen that look in people's eyes before," she gestured vaguely to Adarna's face with her rifle, "greedy crime lords with their eyes on a prize, that's what you look like right now."

Adarna smiled at her venomously, "And I'm sure your motives for funding this enterprise are entirely innocent."

"Enough," Aria's patience had apparently run out as she raised her gun again and stepped forward, "come on, Tevos, let's end this. Just say the word and I'll put a bullet in her."

…

It was less than twenty seconds after Jules left the operating theatre before an alarm began to sound, probably triggered by the scientists she had so foolishly decided to leave alive.

"You and your soft heart, Jules," she muttered to herself as she glanced around for somewhere to hide from the guards who were probably about to appear.

She was unarmed, barefoot and wearing only the tank top and shorts that she had slept in. Her biotics were recovering but they were still weak and whatever had been injected into her had left her feeling heavy and lethargic. In short, she wasn't really in the mood for a fight.

As the alarm blared she heard the sound of armoured boots behind her and decided her best option for now was to run and hope an idea occurred to her somewhere along the way. She never got that chance, however, as a squad of guards appeared around the corner ahead, stopping her in her tracks. She turned back to see the ones behind had also emerged and found herself trapped between the two.

"We've orders to take you alive, Shepard," someone shouted and she looked sharply back to see a human man leading the first group. Dried blood smattered across his face suggested that he had been in a scrap already today and he was clearly spoiling for more, "unless you put up a fight," his mouth twisted into a cruel smile and Jules scowled.

Behind her, the other group had come to a stop with their weapons raised. She was outnumbered twelve to one.

 _Fine,_ she thought irritably, cracking her knuckles together as she eyed both squads, _if that's the way you want it,_ she clenched both hands into fists, channelled all the biotic power she could and charged.

Considering it was the first biotic charge she had attempted in at least a decade – possibly longer – she was actually surprised at how much force she managed to expel as the corridor rushed past her and she slammed straight into the man with the already bloodied face.

She caught a glimpse of his startled expression before he flew backwards from her with a yell, skidding on his back across the floor as Jules found herself in the midst of five armed men. She consolidated her power into a barrier and aimed her elbow at the nearest one's stomach, instantly regretting it as her unarmoured elbow collided with his metal plating and pain shot up through her nerves.

"Fuck!" she hissed before dropping into a crouch to dodge a retaliatory blow. Decades of vanguard training came back to Jules in a heartbeat but it didn't change the fact that she was outnumbered and unarmed. More than anything she needed to get out of there.

She ducked another blow from her left and danced out of reach before breaking into a sprint. She heard someone behind her give the order to fire and strengthened her barrier in the hope it would be enough.

Bullets bounced off the biotic field as she ran, ahead of her the bloodied man was still sprawled across the floor where he had landed but as she neared he was struggling back to his feet. She saw an angry glint in his eye as he lunged for his discarded rifle and without thinking she summoned her biotics and yanked the weapon away from him.

He stumbled forwards as the rifle skidded out of reach before it jumped off the floor and flew neatly into Jules' hands. He lost his balance and fell onto all fours, allowing Jules to leap over him before she ducked around a corner and out of the line of fire.

The gunfire ceased and she could hear the bloodied man screaming orders to his men. From the way he was cursing loudly, she got the impression he was having a bad day.

The corridor was a dead end and she found herself with a choice of three doors to bolt through; one was plain metal and could have led anywhere, another appeared to be a men's bathroom while the third was a large set of double doors, hinged both ways and wide enough for large boxes or crates to be moved through.

 _Warehouse doors_ , was the first thing that sprung to her mind when she saw them and she didn't pause to think any further before she charged through them; they clattered shut behind her, muffling the sound of her pursuers as she stopped dead.

She had been right, it was a warehouse, a large one. Concrete walls and floor made the room cold and there wasn't much in the way of light but she could see towering shelves stacked with supplies and arranged so that they formed a labyrinth of shadowy pathways.

Over on the far wall she made out two much larger doors, obviously made with vehicles in mind. This must have been where they brought supplies into the base, which meant it was also a way out.

She heard footsteps in the corridor outside and looked quickly for a hiding place. Luckily they were abundant in here and she was able to slip behind a line of crates that were stacked close to the wall. She ducked down into the shadows and watched as the doors she had come through crashed open again.

The two squads entered, their weapons raised warily as though they expected an ambush. It amused her to think that – despite being half-dressed, drugged and seriously out-of-shape – people still seemed to consider her a threat.

Behind them she saw the bloodied man enter, hands settled on his hips as he surveyed the room, "Spread out!" he ordered sharply, "she can't go anywhere," he turned to gesture to something behind him and a kind of dread settled in Jules' stomach as she watched more of the guards enter.

She didn't bother to count them as she turned away and sank to the floor. She could hear shelves and boxes being overturned as the guards moved methodically through the room. Hidden between the crates and the wall she would go unnoticed for now, but not forever. She let her head fall back against the crates and closed her eyes.

"Wow Shepard, you've got yourself into one hell of a mess this time."

Jules felt a bittersweet stab pass through her heart at the warm, familiar voice and opened her eyes to see Garrus crouched next to her. His blue, turian eyes twinkled brightly in the dark and despite the fact that turian mouths couldn't really smile, she was sure she saw a cocky grin lurking beneath his mandibles.

"Oh, Garrus," she murmured softly as she gazed into his face, "I wish you were really here, I could use the extra firepower."

"Rubbish," he drawled softly, his voice tickling at the back of her neck, "you've got out of worse situations than this."

"Yeah, when I had you and the squad with me, when I could run down a corridor without getting out of breath, or hold a barrier without breaking a sweat," she wiped a hand across her forehead and sighed at the perspiration that came away on her palm. The adrenaline from her escape had made her forget how exhausted she was, but now she was sitting still she realised how much her muscles ached from the exertion, "not as young as I used to be, Garrus."

"Somehow I don't think that's the problem, don't your implants stop you from aging?"

"Only physically," she muttered, she had wondered for a while if these delusional conversations with old friends was actually a result of the implants wearing down. Either that or she was just losing her marbles.

"I wouldn't worry," Garrus commented quietly on her unspoken thoughts, "at least you _know_ you're delusional."

"You can read my mind now, can you?"

"I'm probably just a personification of your subconscious, what do you think?"

Jules would have found a suitable retort but a sudden crash made her jump instead and she looked over the crates to see the bloodied man had kicked over a box of machine parts in frustration.

"What's the point in hiding, Shepard?" he shouted to the room, "You know there's nowhere you can run!"

"Something's pissed _him_ off," Garrus purred softly, "I wonder who broke his nose."

Jules sighed, "Whoever it was, I hope they're in better shape than he is."

…

Egret watched as Liara stepped over the body of the turian guard she had just killed, not giving him so much as a glance as she moved swiftly to the large warehouse doors he had been guarding and began examining the control panel.

The cool, crisp air of Rinoka prickled against Egret's skin, stinging the cut on her forehead as she sighed and looked down at the other three guards who had fallen victim to the older asari's wrath. She was unashamed to admit that Liara, was a little bit scary.

She had barely said two words since they had left the headquarters and her face had remained hardened into a determined glare that sent shivers through Egret's spine and had stopped her from asking any questions.

They had moved inconspicuously through the city and Liara had led them to a half-constructed mech factory, owned by a company that had gone bankrupt nearly a year ago. After the money had run out all building work had stopped and the factory had remained derelict ever since.

The only outward signs that anyone was using it had been the guards. Egret had scanned the building when they arrived and for the most part it was empty, but on the ground floor and the basement levels she had found life signs and power sources, enough to suggest that whoever was down there outnumbered them hugely.

Liara had dismissed her concerns, however, merely stating that she _had_ offered to let her stay behind and Egret honestly didn't have the nerve to argue with her.

It was intimidating enough that she happened to be one of the crew of the Normandy – a woman Egret's mother had used to tell her stories about at bedtime. She remembered an old saying about it never being a good idea to meet your heroes and she was starting to understand why. Liara had turned out to be nothing like Egret had imagined.

The stories all portrayed Liara as the perfect asari – elegant, intelligent, beautiful. Egret had envisioned a tall, maternal figure with a charming smile and a musical laugh who enchanted everyone in the room.

In reality Liara came across as cold, her presence made people uncomfortable and her elegance was marred by her abruptness. Her sapphire eyes seemed to drink in every detail around her as though she were searching for flaws and there was an uncompromising determination about her that was… unsettling. Egret was sure there was no lengths she wouldn't go to in order to reach Shepard.

She sighed and glanced down the backstreet that had led them to the warehouse doors to make sure no one was watching them. They were in the industrial part of the city and the muffled noise of machinery from nearby factories had drowned out any sound of their fight with the guards. Or _Liara's_ fight with the guards, to be more precise. She and Grunt hadn't even got a look in.

She looked over to where Grunt was crouched down by the dead turian guard, examining the shotgun he had been carrying with a critical frown. He apparently sensed Egret's eyes on him as he looked up at her and blinked.

"What's wrong?" he asked bluntly. At first she just shrugged and shook her head but as he stood and moved towards her, she relented.

"I don't think she likes me," she muttered, shooting Liara a glance. The asari wasn't even looking at them as she remained preoccupied with the door panel.

Grunt followed her gaze and chuckled slightly, "She doesn't know you."

"She doesn't want to," Egret retorted, "she didn't want me to come here, you heard her, she thinks I'll be a liability."

"She's just worried about Shepard. You're being paranoid."

She shrugged indifferently. Grunt was probably right, she knew she shouldn't need Liara's approval and she also knew it was ridiculous that she cared so much about getting it, but it wasn't every day you got to fight beside Liara T'Soni.

"I know you want to impress her," Grunt said and she had to steel herself to keep from arguing, Grunt knew her too well for her to be able to lie to him. It just sounded so pathetic when he said it like that.

"She's not too impressed so far. She thinks I'm just an airheaded kid."

He shrugged as he swiftly loaded his new shotgun and then offered it to her, "So prove her wrong."

"Grunt!" they both turned at Liara's voice and saw her gesturing for them to come closer, "I've managed to bypass the lock!"

Grunt looked back at Egret and after a moment's hesitation, she nodded and took the gun from him.

Liara didn't spare them much of a glance as they jogged over to join her, she had her omni-tool open and was frowning at her scans of the building.

"I don't think this base has been here long," she said as they reached her, "it looks like it's just meant to be temporary, they must be using it specifically to keep Jules in."

"Any idea where she is?" Grunt asked.

"No, but it looks like some kind of alert has been triggered."

"What for?"

She shrugged and reached for the door controls, "I suppose we're about to find out."

…

Jules peered cautiously out from her hiding place. Ahead of her, one of the guards had strayed from the others and was crouched by a stack of shelves with his back to her, flashing a torch through the shadows.

He was wide open but quite a distance away from her as she raised her rifle and aimed, "I wish I had a sniper rifle," she muttered absently. Beside her, she heard a soft chuckle.

"Why? You were always a terrible shot."

She frowned slightly as she turned to give Garrus a look. The turian was leaning close over her shoulder with a quirky twinkle in his eye, "So what's the plan? You shoot one of them and alert all the others to where you're hiding?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

He seemed to smile again but didn't answer and Jules turned back to her target. She had a clear shot but for some reason she found herself hesitating.

"What are you waiting for?"

"Nothing," she muttered, "I'm just… trying to remember when the last time was I shot someone."

Her finger tensed on the trigger but then she jumped suddenly as the doors she had come through opened loudly and a voice rang out through the room.

"Dester! Where is she?"

Jules ducked abruptly back into cover as her target suddenly stood up straight and began to move towards the voice. As Jules watched through a crack in the crates, she saw a red-haired woman march into the room with Doctor Aegina following calmly in her wake. The turian's sharp yellow eyes were scanning the room intently as the redhead began conversing with the guards; she was gesturing wildly in a way that suggested she was _not_ happy and Jules caught snippets of things like: 'How could you let this happen?' and 'I'll hold you personally responsible!'.

The guards were all moving away from their search to listen to her and everyone was suddenly preoccupied.

"Now or never," she heard Garrus purr softly in her ear and this time she didn't hesitate as she slung the rifle over her should and vaulted over the crates. She kept her head low as she slipped silently into the shadows and began to navigate the maze of shelves and boxes. Her bare feet and lack of armour allowed her to stay quick and quiet at least as she headed towards the large warehouse doors.

She had no idea what she was going to do once she reached them, she didn't know how she was going to open them or what she would find on the other side but those were problems for later. Right now she just needed to get there.

Her plan was scuppered abruptly by a shout: "There she is!"

It was Aegina's voice, Jules might have guessed she would have annoyingly sharp eyesight. She didn't bother to look back as she broke into a run and darted behind a towering stack of shelves. She could hear Dester shouting orders as Aegina and the redhead argued behind him.

"We need her alive, Erica," the doctor was saying.

"Like hell we do! She should be dead already, I _told_ you not to screw this up! Just bring me her implants Dester, I don't care about the rest of her!"

She heard gunfire open up behind her and instinctively raised her barrier as she dived into cover. She turned and fired at the two figures she saw chasing her, one fell with a yelp while the other darted out of her sights. She couldn't afford to stay still so she left him kept moving.

She proved to be a difficult target for her pursuers as she weaved nimbly through the warehouse but they were closing in on her. She could feel herself being herded into the far corner but she still had the warehouse doors in sight, a group of the guards were moving into position to block her path but there were no more than four or five, if she could just-

A loud screech broke her thoughts and she skidded to a halt as the doors suddenly began to judder and slide open. It distracted the guards in front of her briefly and they turned as daylight began to stream in behind them.

Jules had no idea what was going to come through those doors and she cursed loudly as she heard the heavy boots behind her getting closer. Without thinking she dived to the side and crouched behind cover as she prepared to make a last stand. If they wanted her implants she was at least going to make sure they had to put a few holes in them first.

Cool air flooded into the musty warehouse and the bright sunlight made Jules squint though she didn't have time to see who had joined them as she heard the guards behind her nearing.

She heard the crack of gunfire and bullets ricocheted off the corner of the crate she was ducked behind. She shuffled further into cover and then stood to aim at her attackers through the stacked shelves.

She saw an armoured turian in her sights and aimed for his head, blue blood splattered the shelves behind him as she fired before she moved swiftly around another corner and continued her retreat.

She could hear shouting from across the room, whoever had come through those doors had caused a stir but she couldn't risk a glance as she rapidly backed away from the guards who were still surrounding her. There were at least seven men chasing her now, she caught glimpses of them between the shelves and fired whenever she had a clear shot but she was nearing the wall and was running out of places to go.

She picked off two as they broke cover to run at her and risked a glance towards the open doors, she still couldn't tell what was going on over there but the cool breeze tickled invitingly against her skin and she wondered if it was worth making a run for it.

She doubted her barrier could withstand a barrage from all of her attackers if she broke cover now and she could hear them shouting to each other among the shelves as they closed in. She threw another glance towards the doors and judged the distance to be at least fifty feet, which was a long way to run with her back to the enemy.

She ducked as a hail of bullets passed over her head and decided that any option was better than staying still. She channelled all of her power into one fist and glanced rapidly between the doors and the guards as she waited for her moment.

When it finally came, she thrust her hand forward and expelled the energy into a shockwave that tore across the room like a charging bull. The guards were thrown from their hiding places like rag dolls as shelves and boxes toppled to the floor, equipment went flying and she heard several cries of pain but she didn't stop to admire the carnage as she made a break for it.

She could hear orders being yelled behind her but she focussed only on the daylight as she sprinted for the doors, dodging through shelves until she broke out of the maze and found herself with a clear view of the exit.

With adrenaline pounding through her veins she quickened her pace and ran. A sudden blur of colour appeared briefly in her peripheral vision and she was distracted for a split-second before something slammed into the side of her head with enough force to knock her off-balance.

Pain cracked through her skull and as she stumbled sideways she felt the hard floor hit her, her rifle flew from her hand and the dizzying blow left her disoriented. She twisted onto her back and blinked away the lights that were dancing before her eyes.

As her vision cleared she saw her attacker looming over her. He was turian but he was built like a krogan with huge, hulking shoulders and a snarl set across his features. She saw her own blood glistening on the butt of his rifle as he aimed it at her.

Her head was spinning so furiously she felt sick but she managed to summon what was left of her biotics to hit him with a blast of energy. It was a pathetic attempt really, barely powerful enough to knock him back but somehow she managed to shake the gun from his hand. It was a shot-lived victory as he grabbed a combat knife from his belt and lunged at her.

She raised her arm instinctively against him and tried to summon another attack but her exerted implant burned with the effort and white-hot pain shot through her temples, crippling her attempts to fight back. The turian knew he had won already and she saw the triumph gleam in his eyes as he moved forward. She wondered if his name would go down in history as the man who finally killed Commander Shepard.

A loud crack rang out behind her and she froze as the turian's chest exploded, the triumph in his eyes was wiped away in a heartbeat and a brief look of horror settled on his face before the force knocked him backwards and he toppled out of her view. Before she had time to register the sudden change in events, a pair of large hands grabbed her from behind and hauled her to her feet. She struggled instinctively until she heard a familiar voice by her ear.

"You alright, Shepard?"

"Grunt?" she questioned incredulously as she felt her rifle being shoved back into her hands. Grunt appeared in front of her, casually picking off another guard with his shotgun before he dragged them both down behind cover. Bullets were still raining down across the warehouse and Jules suddenly realised they weren't all being directed towards her.

"I've got her, Liara!" Grunt was yelling into his omni-tool, "She's alright!"

Jules looked across the room and saw Liara crouched behind some boxes near the open doors, she was dressed like a commando, armed like a krogan and glowing with biotic energy as she expelled numerous attacks against the guards.

"Good!" she saw the asari talk into her own omni-tool and simultaneously heard her voice coming through Grunt's, "We need to thin their numbers before we can retreat!"

Grunt chuckled loudly, "I was hoping you'd say that," as he shut off the interface he turned to Jules, "keep your head down, Shepard, pick off the ones you can and we'll handle the rest."

Still dazed and now even more confused than before, Jules just stared at him, "Since when do you give me orders?"

"GRUNT!" Liara's voice cut them off again, loud enough to be heard over the comm _and_ from across the room this time, "They've got Egret surrounded! I can't get to her!"

"You brought Egret here?" Jules demanded as she followed where Liara was looking. She could just see the young asari taking cover in the far corner where she had been herded by a group of the guards, "She's just a kid, Grunt!"

"I'd like to have seen you try to stop her," Grunt retorted.

"They've got her pinned down," Jules said, "she needs-"

An explosion cut her off and the far side of the room shook as the ring of guards were suddenly propelled backwards and Egret emerged, pulsing with biotic power. Jules felt the prickle in the air even from that distance and Egret gave her victims no time to recover as she deployed a singularity above them with enough pull to drag them high into the air.

Jules was just thinking that the girl's powers might even put Liara to shame when a second shockwave was suddenly expelled and the already suspended guards were sent flying. They somersaulted through the air at speed, some smashing off the ceiling while others hit the far wall. There was the crack of bones and shrill screams as they fell to the floor and Jules saw Egret dart nimbly back into cover beside Liara, who was looking at her in mild disbelief.

"Oh…" Jules muttered weakly, "well… I understand why you like her now."

Grunt chuckled.

"Dester!" they heard the red-haired woman, Erica, shouting from somewhere across the warehouse and saw that there were still plenty of guards on their feet, "Lock this place down, we are _not_ letting Shepard get away!"

An alarm sounded and there was a heavy rattling sound as the warehouse doors began to slide shut behind them. They locked in place with a definite _clunk,_ blocking out the sunlight and dimming the room considerably.

"Damn," they heard Liara across the comm again, "they've put up more security protocols, it won't be as easy to bypass this time."

"Leave it to me," they heard Egret reply, "I should be able to do it, just keep me covered."

"She hacks doors as well?" Jules looked at Grunt, "I'm starting to see your bondmate in a whole new light."

"Focus, Shepard! We're not out of this yet!"

Jules threw him another look, "Aye, Sir!" if Grunt picked up on her sarcasm, he didn't show it.

The battle was swift and brutal. Egret's attack had toppled most of the remaining shelves and opened up the room so that there were few places for the guards to hide. Between the three of them, Grunt, Jules and Liara picked them off steadily while Egret was crouched over the door console, her fingers flying furiously across the controls.

Jules kept catching sight of Erica's orange mane and every time the woman broke cover it was always Jules she was aiming at.

"I get the feeling she's got it in for me," Jules grumbled as she ducked down to avoid yet another hail of bullets from Erica's rifle.

Grunt growled in agreement, "She's fast, I'll give her that," he muttered as he aimed three shots at her, all of which missed.

"I wonder how much money I'm actually worth to her."

"Enough to sacrifice all her guards," Grunt said grimly.

Erica seemed to realise that her remaining men were dropping like flies as she suddenly shouted across the room again, "Dester! Pull back, we need more reinforcements!"

Dester emerged from behind some fallen boxes, sporting a few new wounds to go with his broken nose, and the pair of them backed away towards the door. Erica used Dester like a human shield, staying behind him as he unleashed a blind spray of bullets that forced them all to stay in cover.

They heard the door open and the gunfire abruptly ceased before it crashed shut again and the room fell eerily silent. For a moment none of them moved. Then, slowly, they peered out from their cover, weapons raised in case there was anyone left who was still in a fit state to fight.

"I think we're good for now," Grunt muttered quietly and Jules let a heavy sigh escape her.

The room was a scene of chaos, the warehouse stock was smashed and strewn across the floor and in amongst it lay bloodied bodies, torn apart by bullets or biotics. The lingering smells of the battle brought back more memories than Jules could count as she struggled to her feet and surveyed the scene.

"All this just to get her hands on my implants," she cursed silently and raised a hand to her forehead, wincing as she accidently touched the tender spot at her temple where the rifle butt had hit her.

"Jules!" she looked round sharply at Liara's voice and saw the asari moving towards her, she was walking heavily like she had a leg injury but she broke into a jog as she neared and Jules caught her in a hug. She found Liara's mouth with her own and melted into it, tightening her grip and pulling her close.

The battle had been draining and Jules still didn't really know where she was, how she had got there or where Liara had come from but right now she cared about none of it. She was vaguely aware of Grunt clearing his throat and walking past them but aside from that, the world might as well have stopped turning. They broke the kiss but neither of them pulled back and Jules sighed softly, "You would not believe the day I've had."

Liara's eyes twinkled as she smiled, "Try me, I might surprise you," her face fell however as she looked up to Jules' temple and frowned, "you're bleeding."

Jules was equally distracted, however; as she looked down, she saw fresh violet blood was rapidly staining the shirt that was poking out from under Liara's jacket and there was also a damp patch spreading across her thigh, "So are you."

Liara followed her gaze and frowned as she stepped back, "Oh, the bullet wounds must have reopened."

"Bullet wounds?"

"Yes, from this morning. It's… nothing serious," Jules suspected that was debatable but Liara cut in before she could say anything, "it's a long story, we should get out of here first before that woman comes back with more guards," she cast a glance behind her, "Egret?"

The younger asari was still working at the door controls and looked up briefly, "I've almost got it."

As Jules folded her arms and gazed about the room, a nearby noise drew her attention. She looked over to one of the fallen sets of shelves that had been left twisted and warped by Egret's shockwaves, as she peered through the shadows, she saw a figure trapped beneath the wreckage. Her body shape was obviously turian and blue blood was pooling on the floor around her as she struggled uselessly against the weight that held her down.

"Doctor Aegina," Jules muttered quietly and began to move towards her. Liara watched her for a second and then followed.

As Aegina became aware of them, she looked up and a flicker of resignation seemed to pass through her.

"Your implants are more remarkable than I imagined," she croaked softly, struggling briefly to find a more comfortable position before giving up and collapsing back against the bed of metal she was trapped in, "you seem to have recovered far faster than I would have thought possible."

"Something else you can add to your observations," Jules said calmly as she crouched down. The wreckage had the doctor well pinned and there was no way she could get free on her own.

Jules actually thought she saw a trace of humour pass through her face, "I suppose this is poetic justice to you?" she murmured softly.

"Not particularly," Jules shrugged, "after all, you haven't been drugged, paralysed or experimented on."

"There's a shard of metal through her leg," Liara also crouched as she scanned Aegina with her omni-tool, "the bleeding's bad but she'll live."

Jules sighed heavily, "No she won't," she reached behind Liara and grabbed the shotgun that was holstered at the asari's back. She loaded it swiftly as she stood and raised it to Aegina's head. The turian didn't so much as blink as she stared down the barrel before she raised her eyes to meet Jules' gaze.

"What are you doing?" it was Egret who spoke, her voice raised from across the room. Jules didn't bother to look round at her, "You can't shoot her, she's defenceless."

"Yes," Jules agreed, "but she knows how to build a device that can control my implants remotely and if I let her go I'm sure she'd build another one, probably with a few improvements. I should have killed her back in the operating theatre."

"Why didn't you?" Aegina asked calmly, it was a genuine question.

Jules shrugged, "I believe in second chances, you blew yours by coming after me."

"I won't be the only one, Shepard," she warned quietly, "none of today's technology comes close to those implants. Once people realise you're the real thing, there will be a lot more of them coming after you."

"Well, I'll let you serve as an example to them, then."

Jules didn't hesitate this time as she fired. The single shot rang out across the empty room, stifling the gasp from Egret as Aegina's face imploded into a mess of blood and bone. Jules stared at the sight grimly and let the gun drop to her side. She had never been a fan of executions.

Liara stepped up beside her, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Jules replied wearily, "Egret! How's that door coming?"

She turned to see Egret staring at her and she didn't miss the mingled horror and confusion that was dancing in the young asari's eyes as she nodded dumbly, "I'll have it open in a second."

"Good. Let's get out of here."

* * *

 ** _Sorry it took so long, this chapter was a battle for me as much as it was for Jules :)_**


	11. Doctor's Orders

_Chapter Eleven – Doctor's Orders_

"Stop trying to support _me_ , you can hardly walk," Jules shifted her hold on Liara, hooking the asari's arm around her shoulder and taking her weight as they walked through the alleyways towards the back door of Tevos' headquarters.

Liara frowned at her in annoyance as Jules took a firmer grip of her, "I'm fine, you're the one who's been drugged and paralysed."

"The drugs wore off over an hour ago and _I_ am doing a better job at staying upright than you."

It was true. Liara was limping badly from her leg wound and was still bleeding from her torso despite their efforts to patch her up again. It would probably have been wiser for her not to be moving but they had decided that staying put and waiting for help was riskier, it was very likely that Erica would send people after them.

"Urgh, dammit," Liara cursed softly as she hopped slightly and steadied herself against the alley wall, as she got her breath back an ironic laugh escaped her lips, "neither of us are exactly in prime condition are we? Can you believe we used to save the galaxy?"

"Judging by the state it's in, I think it still needs saving," Jules replied, "so do me a favour and try not to bleed to death. Egret!" she looked behind her to where Egret was following at a distance, "Make sure no one's following us, Liara needs a minute," the asari nodded but said nothing as she turned and headed back the way they had come. Come to think of it, she had said nothing since they had left the warehouse.

"I think I might have scared her," Jules muttered as she eased Liara down onto a discarded barrel that was lying on its side against the wall, "shooting Aegina like that, not exactly the actions of a courageous hero."

"She's no stranger to death, Jules," Liara winced as Jules pulled open her jacket and began looking at the wound, "you saw what she did in there."

"There's a _big_ difference between self-defence and murder, there was once a time _I_ would never have dreamed of shooting and unarmed, injured woman either."

"After hearing what she did to you, I would have shot her myself."

Jules looked up sharply, "I didn't do it for revenge."

"I know. But _I_ would have done."

Jules held her gaze for a moment but decided not to comment; Liara had always been less forgiving than her and they had clashed more than once over the years over what they considered ethical, but now wasn't the time for it.

Liara's wound was still bleeding and Jules had very little she could use to staunch it. After a moment she sighed and shook her head helplessly, "There's nothing I can do, we need to get you to a doctor," Liara nodded and attempted a weak smile but the effect was spoiled by the unhealthily pale shade of blue she had gone.

Jules looked round as Egret came jogging back along the alleyway, "There's no one following us," she reported as she neared.

"Good," Jules told her, "grab Liara's other arm, we need to move quickly," for a second Egret blinked and just stood there until Jules raised her eyebrows expectantly, "come on, she won't bite!"

It took only another second of hesitation before Egret hurriedly moved forwards and took Liara's arm. Between them they hauled the asari to her feet, Liara reacted with only a slight gasp but from the way her eyes were watering Jules could tell she was in a lot more pain than she was letting on.

"It's alright," Jules muttered, "it's not far," she looked ahead where Grunt had been lingering, his keen eyes alert for any danger as he waited for them, "make sure we've got a clear path back to the headquarters!" she called and the krogan nodded.

"Are we sure going back there is a good idea?" Egret asked, her voice was strained slightly as she struggled under Liara's weight and she was obviously uncomfortable but she didn't complain, "There might still be fighting going on."

"The HTA were planning to raid it before we left," Liara replied through gritted teeth, "they've probably got it under control by now."

"And anyway, we don't have a choice," Jules added, "Liara needs a doctor and we've probably got people chasing us. At least at the headquarters there are _some_ people we can trust."

From the corner of her eye she saw Liara turn to give her a sceptical look, "Name one."

Jules smiled briefly but didn't reply.

"I still can't believe you managed to get out of that operating theatre on your own," Egret muttered, she seemed to be trying to distract herself as they hobbled with some difficulty along the alleyway, "no one will doubt you're the real Shepard when they hear about this."

"I wouldn't bet on it," Jules told her, "and I wasn't completely alone, Garrus helped too."

This time the look Liara gave her was harder to read, as Jules turned to meet her gaze she found herself frowning, "What?"

"Nothing. I… just thought we might have left the old crew behind on the Normandy, that's all."

"That would have been a bit cruel, wouldn't it? Considering the Normandy blew up."

"I'm not sure it's possible to hurt people who are already dead."

Jules decided to ignore Liara's tone, which was somewhere between concerned and annoyed. She knew Liara worried about her – honestly she sometimes worried about herself – but she also knew that she wasn't going mad, it wasn't like she actually _believed_ she had been talking to Garrus.

"Ow!" she hissed suddenly as she stepped on some broken glass, instantly cutting the bare soles of her feet and breaking her train of thought.

"Are you alright?" Liara asked, despite the fact that she looked ready to pass out herself.

"Fine. Though you could have thought to bring a spare pair of shoes."

"I could always carry you, if you like," Liara offered dryly.

…

Adarna stumbled as she was shoved into the elevator, with her hands bound tightly behind her back she was unable to stop herself from falling forwards or from crying out as her head smacked off the metal wall, leaving her helplessly sprawled on her front.

"Pick her up, Aria," Tevos' voice was chiding as the two other asari entered behind her.

"I still say you should have let me shoot her," she heard Aria retort as she was grabbed roughly by the arms and hauled back to her feet. Her head throbbed and for a moment the world span, she was turned around sharply and Aria's face came into view as she was shoved back against the wall. Aria's mouth contorted into an ugly snarl and Adarna felt a rifle being pressed against her temple.

"She's no good to us dead," Tevos said calmly as the doors to the elevator slid shut and they began to descend, "the HTA have secured the building, they want her brought to them - _alive,_ " she was tapping at her omni-tool as she spoke, presumably in contact with the HTA officers who had just taken over her headquarters.

"You're playing into their hands, you know," Adarna said, struggling as Aria pressed her forearm against her neck, "this is what they want, me out of the way so they can put a stop to the project."

"Shut up," Aria advised her quietly, the warning tone in her voice was enough to send shivers trickling across Adarna's skin but she refused to appear intimidated, "do you have any idea what you've done? This crazy plan of yours has set the project back months, if they do shut us down it'll be because of _you_."

"They don't have the authority to shut us down," Tevos told her firmly, "we'll manage."

"Without Shepard?" Aria challenged.

"We'll find her."

"I doubt there's much left to find by now," Adarna risked a smirk even as Aria tightened the pressure against her neck, "they only wanted her implants, remember?"

She gasped as Aria's grip tightened further and the asari moved abruptly closer; she instinctively turned away as she felt cold breath tickle against her skin, "You _disgust_ me," Aria muttered contemptuously.

"And you underestimate Shepard," Tevos added as she calmly stepped into Adarna's eye line, now with her hands clasped neatly behind her back, "you're not the first to make that mistake."

The elevator jolted softly as it came to a stop and the doors slid silently open. Adarna found herself being abruptly dragged away from the wall and shoved out into the entrance lobby. It was teeming with HTA uniforms, armed officers guarded the entrance while others were trying to access the consoles behind the reception desk.

There were groups of wounded staff members being treated by Tevos' doctors and Adarna saw Doctor T'Carra being held in handcuffs by two guards. They locked eyes briefly as Aria pushed Adarna forwards but T'Carra quickly looked away again. She looked shaken and was fidgeting nervously where she stood. Adarna realised with some annoyance that she had probably told the HTA everything they wanted to know.

"Matriarch Tevos," they looked up as a well-dressed human man came sauntering towards them through the crowd. Age-wise he was treading the fine line between youth and experience and confidence seemed to ooze from him, filling the air around him much like the strong scent of his aftershave, which Adarna could smell even from here. Blue eyes twinkled charmingly to match his smile and his strong jawline made him not unattractive to look at.

His appearance caused no joy in any of the three asari, however.

"Fuck," Adarna heard Aria mutter, "did it have to be _him_?"

"Quiet," Tevos retorted sharply before stepping in front of them to greet the human, "Director Damon, I wasn't expecting you to come down here personally."

He flashed his smile again as he took Tevos' hand, "When I heard how serious the situation was, it seemed only right that I should see it for myself."

"Shouldn't you be busy running the HTA?" Aria asked, sounding decidedly bored already as she kept a firm grip on Adarna's arm. Her comment swiftly made her the next target of his smile.

"No one runs the HTA, we are governed by an ele-"

"Elected board of directors," Aria finished for him, "you've given me the speech before, when you tried to have me arrested."

The smile didn't falter, "You were the HTA's most wanted criminal, Aria. You were lucky Matriarch Tevos is such a fine negotiator."

"And that she's spent the past decade collecting blackmail material on the rest of the HTA's directors," Adarna added coldly.

For the first time, Damon looked at her; his mood didn't seem to shift as he stepped carefully past Tevos and moved towards her, only stopping when they were face-to-face and the musky stench of his aftershave became even stronger. Apparently human women found the scent overpoweringly attractive, Adarna had never been able to understand why.

"I hear you were attempting to take over the project," he said pleasantly, "I assume it hasn't gone to plan," Adarna said nothing, "I also hear that Shepard has been kidnapped, I have people searching the city for her but it would go much faster if we knew where to look," as Adarna remained silent, the director sighed softly, "you realise that you're unlikely to get paid for her now, what's the point in protecting those criminals?"

"Well, criminal contacts can be useful when you're in prison," Aria snorted.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Damon told her calmly, "the HTA has yet to establish what happened here."

"I'll be happy to provide you with all the proof you need," Tevos told him, "but first we need to find Shepard, assuming they intend to take her implants, we probably don't have much time, we should-"

"Whatever you're about to say, I doubt it will be necessary," Damon cut her off, rocking back on his heels and smiling even more charmingly than before as he looked over towards the back of the room.

Adarna followed his gaze to see one of the staff doors standing open. Grunt was the first to march through it, a shotgun settled casually on his shoulder; behind him Liara stumbled into the room, being supported between Egret and Shepard.

Shepard looked worse for wear, but Liara was the one who was really suffering, "OI!" Shepard yelled across the room, she was looking towards the group of doctors, "Anyone want to offer a hand?"

The HTA officers were looking towards Damon for instructions but he made no attempt to stop the doctors as they hurried across the room. He watched the situation evolve, his head cocked curiously to one side. Throughout all her dealings with the director, Adarna had never seen his smile fade and even now it was remaining plastered in place.

"Take her," Shepard told them as they neared her and four of the medical staff picked Liara up between them, she seemed barely conscious and her head lolled back as she was lifted, but as she was carried away she made a last minute protest as she groggily slurred Shepard's name and reached for her hand.

"Don't worry, I'm right behind you," Shepard told her but as she made to step forward, Adarna saw the quarian doctor step in front to bar her way.

"You need medical attention too, Shepard. I can see to you myself."

There was a moment's pause as Shepard eyed him suspiciously, "And who the hell are you?"

The quarian blinked, "My name is Rhys, I'm a doctor here."

Shepard's eyes gleamed suspiciously and she stepped forward, bringing her face closer to his, "And are you going to drug me? Paralyse me? Sell me to an arms dealer for my implants?"

Rhys seemed to swallow uncomfortably and flicked back a lock of oil-black hair before he shrugged, "I wasn't planning on it."

"Good. Then you and I will get along just fine."

Shepard seemed to be walking with some discomfort and rather a lot of irritation as she followed Rhys across the room, Adarna couldn't help but appreciate Damon's nerve as he stepped out to greet her as she passed, "Commander Shepard," he began brightly and Shepard noticeably bristled at the title, "I'm Director Damon of the HTA, it's an honour to-"

"I'm sure it is," Shepard cut him off, brushing past the hand he had held out in greeting. She had noticed Adarna and was making a sudden beeline for her. As much as she didn't want to, Adarna felt herself instinctively back away as the human neared but Aria's grip tightened, holding her in place.

Shepard came right up to her, searched her eyes intently for a moment and then gave an irritated snarl before turning instead to Tevos, "Liara filled me in on what happened. Is it true?" Tevos' silence was apparently enough of an answer for her, "How many of your staff were in on this?"

"We're still piecing together the details," Tevos told her quietly, "I can't apologise enough, Shepard."

"Then don't bother trying," Shepard said bluntly, "I need to make sure Liara's okay, we can talk later," she gave Damon a brief, disinterested glance and then pushed past him again and joined Rhys in one of the elevators.

"She's a live wire, that one," Adarna muttered, "she'll be more trouble than she's worth in the long run," for a moment, Tevos glared at her before she turned swiftly to Damon.

"Director, I'd appreciate it if your officers could get this woman off my premises."

…

As the elevator doors slid shut, Jules briefly locked eyes with the human man who had tried to introduce himself. He had seemed to take no offence to her attitude and a warm, pleasant smile was still gracing his lips before he disappeared from her view.

"Who is he?" she asked Rhys quietly.

"I believe he's one of the HTA's leaders, I've seen his face on the news several times before. I'm surprised you're not familiar with him, the HTA was your creation, was it not?"

Jules looked at him for a moment, he was bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet as the elevator ascended, not unlike Tali used to, "I helped found the HTA," she admitted, "but I was never involved in the running of it, we left that to the politicians. I certainly haven't stayed in contact with them. I get the impression they've… changed a lot since I had any dealings with them."

"You should be proud of them," Rhys said cheerily, "they've kept peace for two centuries."

"Depends on your definition of peace, I hear they blew up Omega."

"Ha," he smiled, "hardly the galaxy's greatest loss."

"Tell that to Aria."

The doors slid open and they stepped out into a corridor. Several of the lights had been shot out and sections of it were in darkness, bullet holes decorated the walls and at least two doors had been kicked in. There was also a good deal of overturned furniture that had been dragged out of rooms to use as cover. A few armed HTA officers were milling around but apart from that the corridor was empty.

"Are we sure there's no one left up here who's planning to shoot us?" Jules asked, grimacing as she looked around at the mess.

"The HTA say they've secured the building," Rhys assured her, "most of Adarna's people have already been taken away."

"I can't believe they actually opened fire."

"Casualties were minimal," Rhys shrugged, "just because they were ordered to attack that doesn't mean they were comfortable with killing unarmed staff. The medical room is this way."

Rhys led her through the wreckage to a door that was being guarded by two armed turians, as they entered she saw Liara had already been placed on one of the beds and was being tended to by several frantic staff.

"Will she be alright?" Jules asked distractedly as Rhys led her over to the far side of the room.

"Her wounds have reopened," he replied without concern, "it's nothing too serious, I'm sure. I did warn her not to exert herself but she can be quite insistent."

"Tell me about it," Jules muttered.

"Hop on the bed," he told her, "I'll need to take some scans."

It was a long examination, Jules recounted everything that Doctor Aegina had done to her while Rhys took tests and scans which frequently had him frowning at datapads while muttering things to himself. He seemed bizarrely cheerful considering all that had happened that morning but Jules soon recognised that he was simply used to adapting to unexpected circumstances. They had that in common at least.

Meanwhile, the staff treating Liara had become far less agitated and Jules could hear her slurring groggily as she answered all their questions about how she was feeling. It was difficult to get a proper look at her with all the medics surrounding her but that didn't stop Jules from trying.

"Good heavens," she heard Rhys mutter from beside her and briefly glanced over to see him staring at one of his monitors, his golden eyes glowing curiously.

"What is it?"

"The toxin that T'Carra injected you with, there's still a lot of it coursing through your bloodstream. I had no idea she was such a skilled chemist, I don't know whether to be more impressed with her for synthesising it or with your implants for adapting to fight it so quickly."

Jules finally pulled her attention fully away from Liara as she shifted on the bed to look at the screen. To her all it showed was molecules and chemical formulae which meant nothing to her, "She's really been poisoning me all week?"

"Without a doubt," he agreed, "unless someone else has been offering you 'vitamin shots'?" he turned to raise his eyebrows at her expectantly but it was clearly a rhetorical question, "It explains why you were feeling so sluggish, your body was exerting a huge amount of energy to try and counteract the effects of the poison," he sighed and shook his head as he turned back to the screen, "seven months I've worked with that woman, I never even suspected she would be capable of this, intellectually _or_ morally."

"This is a strange project people are signing up for," Jules mused, "I imagine there's all sorts of twisted motives hidden inside it."

"Indeed," Rhys only seemed to be half listening as he peered closer at his scans, "those implants really are a remarkable piece of engineering…" he must have felt Jules' questioning gaze on him as he suddenly cleared his throat and straightened up, "I'm sorry, that's probably the last thing you want to hear from a medical professional after the day you've had."

"I am starting to find people eyeing up my implants a bit creepy," she admitted with a tight smile, "how are the implants anyway? Is there any permanent damage?"

"Doesn't seem to be. You biotic implant was subjected to some pretty rigorous testing so I'd give it a rest for a while but aside from that, they're doing a perfectly good job of healing themselves. I'll just patch up that head wound, get the glass out of your feet and you'll be as good as new."

…

Over the next few hours Rhys' optimism proved to be refreshing. The quarian hummed cheerfully and talked incessantly to himself as he fussed around her, seeming to delight in even the tiniest triumphs.

"Aha! No sign of concussion!" he exclaimed after he had finished treating her head wound and taken a brain scan, "You must have a thick skull!"

"Er… thanks?" Jules replied, unsure whether that was more of a compliment or an insult, "It's all Miranda's work, she rebuilt my entire skull from scratch after the Collector attack."

"Miranda Lawson? Ah yes, I've heard great things about her. She's well studied in medical history, I wrote a whole paper on her when I was in university. Unfortunately she took most of her scientific breakthroughs with her to the grave."

"She realised how dangerous implants like these would be in the wrong hands," Jules agreed, "people could use them to build armies, she didn't want that to be her legacy."

"Sensible woman."

By the time Rhys had finished, the day was drawing to a close. HTA officers were still patrolling the building but they had been ordered to leave the medical staff to their work and no one disturbed them in the medical room.

Liara was sleeping soundly and Jules watched her quietly from across the room, she had made no protests when Rhys insisted that they both stay overnight though she was beginning to wonder why no one had been by to tell her what the hell was going on.

The rest of the medical staff had gone, leaving only Rhys. He was working silently at a desk in the corner and would get up every now and then to check on Liara before raising his eyebrows at Jules and telling her to get some sleep. But even if she had wanted to, she couldn't fall asleep when she still had so many questions running through her head.

Aria was her first visitor. It was well past midnight when she entered and Rhys glanced up from his work long enough to give her a disapproving look but he said nothing as she walked over to Jules. Her eyes lingered on Liara for a moment before she spoke.

"She going to be alright?"

"She'll live," Jules agreed, "provided she doesn't run off on any insane rescue missions again."

Aria cocked her brow inquisitively, "You sound annoyed."

"No," Jules smiled, "I got used to Liara being stubborn and reckless a long time ago."

"Hmph, I wonder where she gets that from," Aria folded her arms and moved to the other side of the bed where she perched casually on a high stool by Rhys' monitors.

"Where's Tevos?" Jules asked.

"Keeping the HTA off your back. Grunt's filled them in on what happened with the arms dealers but _Director Damon_ ," she practically ground her teeth as she spat out his name, contempt dripping from every word, "wants to hear it from you. Tevos has managed to put him off for now."

"Damon? The good-looking one who tried to introduce himself?"

"Hmph, I wouldn't be too taken in by his charms if I were you."

"Ooh," Jules smiled, "I'm sensing there's some history between you two."

Aria looked at her coldly, "I've never been a fan of sleazy men in suits."

"There's more to it than that, isn't there?"

Aria's face settled into a sullen glare and she turned to look back at Rhys, when it became obvious the quarian wasn't listening in she finally relented, "Damon was the one who planned the attack on Omega. The one who ordered it be destroyed instead of captured. Then he had his fleet chase me all the way here and tied Tevos up in months of legal battles while he tried to get his grubby hands on me."

"Well, you _are_ a criminal," Jules reminded her with a smirk.

"By their laws, maybe. But their laws didn't apply in the Terminus, not until they flew their fleet in and took over, trying to impose order on people who didn't want it and didn't ask for it. There's a word for that, you know."

"Relax, Aria, he was probably just doing his job."

But Aria shot her a look of such venom that Jules felt her face fall, this was evidently a very personal grudge that Aria was harbouring, "There were _thousands_ of people on Omega when he destroyed it," she said coldly, "he didn't have to let them all die."

"And now you have to bite your tongue and play nice with Tevos just to keep yourself out of prison. I get it, that must sting."

Aria watched her carefully for a moment, "You're a hypocrite, Shepard."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Judging me for holding a grudge against Damon, when you're still holding yours against Tevos two hundred years after the war ended."

Jules blinked, "What are you talking about?"

"I know what resentment looks like, Shepard. You're practically boiling over with it every time you and Tevos are in the same room. I just don't understand why you're still holding onto it after all this time."

"Why do you think? If Tevos had been honest with us at the start of the war then we could have ended it a lot sooner, she has _millions_ of lives on her conscience, not to mention whole planets. If we had gotten the Catalyst sooner, Thessia might never have been attacked in the first place."

"You can't possibly know that for sure."

"Can't I? Trust me, I've had plenty of time to think about it. And I am not 'holding a grudge' against Tevos, I just know she can't be trusted."

"Well maybe you're wrong," Aria leaned forwards suddenly, resting both elbows on the bed and lowering her voice further, so that each word prickled against Jules' skin, "when we confronted Adarna she let slip why she has so little faith in Tevos. It turns out she worked for the matriarchs during the war and she knows that Tevos disobeyed their instructions when she told you about the beacon. She never had the authority to reveal its existence, it wasn't her that was keeping it from you it was the matriarchs and she went against them just to help you."

For a moment Jules was silent, to be honest she had always wondered if that was the case but Aria was deluded if she thought it would make a difference, "It doesn't change anything. She could still have told us sooner."

"Argh," if Aria had hair, Jules imagined she might have pulled it out in frustration as she fell back into her stool and rolled her eyes, "think about it Shepard, if she had done that then she would have been pulled off the Council and replaced with someone less willing to question the asari government. Then what help would she have been to you? And anyway, the only reason you managed to get to the beacon at all was because Thessia was in chaos and most of the matriarchs were dead, if you had turned up before the invasion then they would never have let you get close. You can't hold Tevos responsible for it all just because she's the only one who's still alive."

"And what about the things she did after the war?" Jules snapped suddenly, raising her voice enough to draw a look from Rhys; she waited until the doctor went back to his work and then lowered her tone again, "She stirred up a hate campaign against me, she took advantage of angry, scared people and pitted them against _me._ After _everything_ that had happened all she wanted was more conflict."

"The way I hear it, she was traumatised."

"We were all traumatised! Earth was in ruins, most of the fleet was still missing, we had no idea what was happening in the rest of the galaxy, Tevos could have decided to help us but instead she riled up an angry mob and told them _I_ was to blame for all of it. They came after me one night, you know. Stormed the camp we'd set up, dragged me out of bed and took me up to one of the piles of rubble that had used to be a skyscraper. They were going to execute me, string me up like we were living in the dark ages," she faltered for a second as she realised what she was saying, it wasn't something she had discussed with anyone for a long time. She looked down at her hands, ignoring the feel of Aria's eyes on her as she continued more quietly.

"It was only a few weeks after the war had ended. I thought I was going to die when I was on the Citadel, I'd been ready to die. I was still trying to come to terms with the fact that I'd survived and what I'd done when…" she stopped herself before she said too much, Liara was the only one she had ever told about what had really happened on the Citadel that day, the truth about the Catalyst and the choice she had made. The choice that still haunted her to this day.

"I'd spent the whole war telling everyone that we were going to defeat the reapers, I'd hardly even thought about what the consequences would be when we actually did. Everything suddenly seemed so hopeless, I couldn't remember why I'd bothered to fight at all. And when they dragged me up there and put a gun to my head, I was so tired of it all I didn't even put up a fight. It just seemed so easy to let them kill me," she waited for a snarky comment from Aria but none came.

"It was Liara who stopped them, her and the rest of the squad came charging in, gave my would-be executioners an earful and then took me back to the camp. Liara was so angry that I had been willing to give up after I'd brought them so far, I'd never seen her that furious before, it took a while before I realised she was right."

As Jules fell silent, she finally looked up and found Aria gazing at her quietly, arms folded and unblinking, "So you had a tough time after the war," she shrugged slightly, "I doubt Tevos was having much fun either, at least you had a squad ready to pick you up and hold you together, what did she have?"

Jules frowned softly, "Why are you doing this? What does it matter to you if I forgive Tevos or not?"

She shrugged slightly, "Do you know where Tevos is right now? Shut up in a room with Director Damon and a bunch of HTA officials who are all trying to use Adarna's coup to put an end to the project. They are doing _everything_ they can to destroy everything that she has built and if they do, not only will we never get to Thessia, but they'll be free to throw me in prison and to get their hands on you and Liara. I don't know what they'd want to do with you but I'd bet you're safer with Tevos. Now she's a skilled negotiator but even she needs support, especially when dealing with the HTA."

"You've really got it in for them, haven't you?"

Aria shrugged "They've been trying to keep people out of asari space for decades, that's a good enough reason for me to want to get in there and find out what the hell they're hiding. Tevos just wants to get Thessia back and you… well you've got nothing better to do. But none of us can do it on our own. Like it or not, we need each other."

"Hmph," Jules muttered suspiciously, "I'm starting to think this project is more important to you than it is to her."

Aria looked at her for a moment, "Look, if we are ever going to get to Thessia then we need to work together and more importantly we need to…" her mouth formed into a snarl as she clearly struggled with the next word, " _trust_ each other. And getting hung up on old grudges is only going divide us in the long run."

"Wow," Jules muttered, allowing herself an amused smile, "losing Omega has changed you, hasn't it?"

"I didn't manage to run that station for all those centuries without learning when to compromise," she snarled coldly, "you need to let go of what happened during the war, stop blaming Tevos for things none of us can change."

"What? Just like that?"

"We've got bigger problems to deal with now!" Aria hissed, briefly losing her cool before sighing softly, "I _need_ Tevos to succeed, and she can't do it without our help."

For a moment Jules just stared at her, she saw the familiar determination that she had always associated with Aria but there was something else there too, desperation? It was well hidden but it was there, without Omega she seemed to have few options open to her, "I appreciate the advice," Jules said carefully, "but _I_ will decide who I can and can't trust."

Aria let out an irritable sigh, "Fine. And which category do I fall into?"

"I'll let you know."


	12. The Anonymous Informant

_Chapter Twelve – The Anonymous Informant_

" _Tevos to Shepard… Shepard? Are you there?"_

Back in the privacy of their own room, Jules reluctantly eased Liara's mouth away from her own as Tevos' voice chimed over the comm. The comm panel was within arm's reach, or it would have been were Liara not straddling her to keep her in place on the sofa.

It had been two days since Adarna's coup and they had both finally been released from the medical room. In truth, they probably hadn't needed to stay there that long – even Rhys had admitted so – but Tevos had insisted. For some reason she had been keen that Director Damon didn't get the chance to speak to either of them and saying that they were still recovering was the best excuse she had.

Tevos hadn't been to see them either, according to Aria this was because she'd been engaged in some pretty intense negotiations with the HTA, they had claimed the headquarters was a crime scene and had wanted to clear everyone out of it and seal it off, leaving Tevos without anywhere to operate from.

Of course Aria believed this was just an excuse for the HTA to take the building off them and shut the project down. From the way she told it, Damon and Tevos had spent the past two days locked in a battle of wits that rivalled all other political disputes in the galaxy. Then again, Aria did have a flair for the dramatic.

Either way, Tevos had won in the end and she and all of the staff who hadn't been working for Adarna had been allowed to remain. Jules had been waiting for Tevos to contact her so she could finally get some answers, unfortunately the matriarch's timing left a lot to be desired. Although Jules had broken Liara's kiss, the asari's enthusiasm hadn't been dampened and her lips had moved instead to Jules' cheek, then down to her jaw and finally her neck. It was with some difficulty that Jules stretched an arm across the back of the sofa and hit the comm panel.

"Yes, I'm here."

" _Director Damon has finally left the building, but he's returning in the morning to question you about the arms dealers."_

"Right," Jules muttered distractedly as Liara threaded a hand through her hair.

" _He wanted to do it tonight but I managed to put him off until tomorrow,"_ Liara's tongue licked across her earlobe as her other hand tugged at her top to find the bare skin beneath, _"I think there are things we need to discuss before then,"_ Liara's lips returned to her neck and hot breath sent shivers through her spine, _"I'm waiting in my office if it's convenient."_

Jules closed her eyes as Liara's attentions became more urgent and sighed heavily, "I'll be right there."

The kissing abruptly stopped and she looked down to see Liara staring at her, blue eyes glittering in disbelief. As the call shut off Jules shrugged innocently, "What?"

"Couldn't you have told her to wait ten minutes?"

Jules smirked, "I think that in ten minutes it would be even harder to leave."

"Then stay," Liara's mouth found hers again but Jules pushed her back gently.

"Tevos is right, I need some answers from her."

"Now? This is the first time we've been alone in two days, and Rhys said we need to rest."

"I didn't realise rest was what you had in mind," Jules smiled coyly but only managed to earn a slight scowl in response as Liara sighed and slipped off her lap to sit beside her on the sofa, "Oh c'mon, Liara, you've got me for life, you can let Tevos have me for an hour or two."

Liara's expression was enough to show exactly what she thought of that but she didn't protest further, "What are you going to say to her?"

"Dunno, depends what kind of answers she manages to come up with," Jules groped around the floor for her shoes – the ones Liara had relieved her of moments earlier – and slipped them onto her feet, "it worries me that Adarna managed to plot all of this behind her back."

"Do you think Tevos was in on it?"

Jules paused halfway through tying her laces and shrugged, "Why would she be?"

"I don't know," Liara admitted, "I don't pretend to understand any of the real motives behind this project. We could still walk away if we wanted to, it's not too late."

Jules laughed at that, "You're telling me you could really walk away now? Before we get a chance to see where all this goes?"

Liara shrugged as though to appear indifferent but the small smile she quickly hid told Jules otherwise, "I think we're in too deep to back out now, Liara, and like Aria said: we've got nothing better to do."

…

It was impressive how quickly the devastation in the headquarters had been cleared, Jules mused as she made her way to Tevos' office. There was no sign of the bullet holes, blood stains or broken glass that had littered the corridors only two days before. All of the damaged furniture had been removed, leaving the rooms looking a little sparse as she passed them but aside from that there was almost no indication at all that there had been any fighting. Unless you counted the HTA officers who were still patrolling the corridors.

Jules passed several of them on her way to Tevos and she was acutely aware of them watching her. She noticed some of them activating their omni-tools as she walked by and heard them muttering urgently into the interfaces. She didn't know who they were reporting to or why but she could tell she was being closely observed.

When she reached Tevos' office she found two more of them standing guard outside the door, they made no attempt to stop her as she entered but she caught them both throwing her sideways glances.

To avoid standing there longer than necessary, she decided to enter without knocking and opened the door to find Tevos sitting at her desk, she beckoned Jules silently inside and once the door slid shut again, Jules raised an eyebrow.

"I see you've acquired some bodyguards."

"A generous gift from the HTA," Tevos agreed dryly, "for my own protection... apparently," she was sitting back elegantly in her chair, her legs crossed neatly beneath her long, figure-hugging dress. She was dressed in silver today, matching her silk-coloured eyes and, as usual, she wouldn't have looked out of place at a grand ball. Jules briefly wondered if – on her days off – she ever just flung on a pair of jeans and an old t-shirt like a normal person. It was hard to picture somehow.

Still, the thought amused her and she smirked slightly as she walked forwards into the room, "Aria says the HTA have been giving you a hard time."

She thought she saw a hint of irritation pass across Tevos' face but it quickly vanished and she merely nodded curtly, "They're understandably concerned about what happened here."

Jules frowned softly. She had always found Tevos difficult to read, politicians were like that. When you were on a battlefield fighting a hostile force it was usually pretty easy to work out who your enemy was but in politics things weren't that simple. Jules had always struggled to work out what is was that motivated Tevos, sometimes she appeared to be utterly selfish and uncompromising but then she would say or do something completely unexpected. It was hard to know what her real feelings about the HTA were.

"Where's Adarna?" Jules asked eventually.

"In an HTA detention centre, T'Carra too, and everyone else who was secretly working for her. Of course that means we've lost almost our entire security force but we're fairly certain we've rooted out all the traitors."

"You sure about that?" Jules challenged, "Adarna had been lying to you for years, how can we possibly know how deep those lies run, or who else was involved with her?"

Tevos must have picked up on the suspicion in her voice as the matriarch studied her carefully for a moment, "I realise that none of this reflects well on the project, in fact we probably look like incompetent fools. But you must know that I knew nothing about Adarna's plans."

"You expect that to reassure me? That your most trusted colleague was conspiring against you from the start and you knew nothing about it? What else is being plotted behind your back? How many more people are waiting to betray you? I am not stupid, Tevos, I know there's more riding on this mission than just you getting your home world back."

Tevos was silent for a time, staring at a spot in the far corner of the room. Jules waited her out with her armed crossed until the matriarch once again looked at her, "You're right," she spoke quietly, "my one and only intention from the start really was just to reclaim my world for my people, but Thessia has always been a politically important planet and that has… complicated things."

"Because of the eezo," Jules nodded, "is that what Adarna was after?"

"Perhaps, it's hard to know for sure. Maybe she really does just think that she would have been a better leader than me."

"Then she's proved herself wrong. As leaders go she seems to be on the wrong side of insane for my liking."

"I suppose I'll take that as a compliment?" Tevos smiled slightly but her face fell when Jules didn't reciprocate.

"Why did you ask me here?" Jules asked bluntly, she hated being talked in circles and more than anything she was trying to ignore the way her mind kept wandering to Liara, and to what they would be doing right now if Tevos hadn't interrupted them, "since it couldn't wait until the morning I'm assuming there's something you want to say before Director Damon speaks to me."

Tevos looked down at her desk, absently rearranging several of the items on it before she spoke, "I realise what happened to you was horrific. You were kidnapped from my building with help from my own staff, I would understand if you blamed me for what happened, at least in part. I need to know if you still support the project, if you still feel you can work with me."

"Why? Are you afraid I might go and work for the HTA instead?"

"Damon may try to hire you," she admitted, "your name alone would be a great asset to them. The story of your kidnapping has made the intergalactic news, the whole of the Milky Way knows about your return now and they are far more willing to believe it's really you. I've already had several interview requests from Rannoch, Surkesh and Tuchanka, you've got people fighting over you."

Jules fought not to roll her eyes, "The Athena Nebula is sounding more appealing by the second. I assume the intergalactic news doesn't reach them out there?"

Tevos smiled thinly, "Probably not. Although I honestly don't know what we're going to find when we get there. With so much uncertainty, this project is unlikely to succeed if we don't feel we can rely on each other."

"You're asking if I trust you?"

Tevos tilted her head affirmatively, "It's a reasonable question, I know you and I have a... difficult history, I'm hoping we can put it behind us."

Jules supressed the familiar prickle of anger those words ignited and practically chewed a hole in her lip to keep herself from blurting something out. She folded her arms tightly, digging her nails into the fabric of her sleeves as she distracted herself by looking towards the window. She had plenty of things to hate Tevos for: calling her a liar for believing in the reapers, abandoning Earth during the war, not to mention stirring up a lynch mob against her. Tevos had never once apologised or admitted she had been wrong about any of it and now Jules had to be the one to 'put it all behind them' or risk looking like a bitter old woman who couldn't let go. It made her stomach turn.

"Aria told me about what Adarna said," she found herself saying suddenly, "about you disobeying the matriarchs to give me the beacon," Tevos' face fell sharply and her cheeks flushed blue beneath her tiger-like markings before she cleared her throat and turned away. Jules watched the reaction in fascination.

"My God," she muttered, "you're ashamed of it, aren't you? The only decent thing you did during the war and you're ashamed. It bothers you more that you went against the matriarchs than that you nearly cost us the entire war."

"That's not fair, Shepard," she protested quietly, "I helped you as much as I could during the war, more than you realise. But I couldn't jeopardise my position on the council, if-"

"I don't want to hear it," Jules told her sharply. These were old arguments, unresolvable arguments that would have them talking in circles all night when all she really wanted to do was get back to Liara. She took a deep breath and considered her options. By now she honestly wanted to know what was going on in the Athena Nebula as much as everyone else did and Tevos was right, they wouldn't get very far if they couldn't trust each other. Still, she wasn't convinced that Tevos was telling her everything.

"If you want me to trust you," she said at last, "then there's something I need to know."

Tevos paused, eyeing her cautiously, "Go on."

"Who told you where the Normandy was? Grunt said you had an informant who gave you our exact location, I want to know who it was."

Tevos stared at her and for a moment Jules thought she would lie and claim it was anonymous, or deny its existence at all. But the matriarch surprised her.

"I'm not at liberty to say. I made a promise."

At least it wasn't a lie, Jules consoled herself. But not completely.

"Not good enough. If you want this to work then I need the truth. I can't think of a single person who knew where Liara and I were so someone must have been following us in secret. Was it someone you hired? An old enemy who still bears a grudge? Or just an acquaintance willing to sell me out for the money? Come on Tevos, if I'm going to be looking over my shoulder I at least want to know who I'm looking for."

Tevos frowned curiously, "Why do you assume the intent was malicious? Since you left the Normandy you have slept in a warm bed every night, enjoyed daily showers and lived in conditions that are practically luxurious compared to what you had before. You have been fed, clothed-"

"Drugged, kidnapped and sold to arms dealers willing to cut me open for a profit," Jules cut in dryly and though it shut Tevos up, the asari's eyes narrowed, "Who tipped you off?" Jules repeated, "I'm not leaving without an answer."

For a moment Tevos merely pursed her lips, "Would you ever have left the Normandy if Grunt hadn't found you," she asked suddenly, "or would you have waited until the ship could no longer sustain you? Would you even have bothered to try to survive or would you just have died when the Normandy finally ran out of power? I hear you fought tooth-and-nail to survive in that warehouse, an instinct you seemed to have been lacking over the past one hundred years, it seems that leaving the Normandy has been good for you."

"You're straying from the point," Jules snapped impatiently, her mind was still half on Liara and she really didn't want to draw this meeting out for longer than necessary, "answer my question! Who tipped you off?"

There was another pause and Tevos seemed to realise she had little choice but to answer her. Still, when she finally spoke, she chose her words carefully, "Someone who cares enough to want to save you from yourself."

"What the hell is that supposed to-" Jules broke off as the realisation suddenly hit her. She didn't need Tevos to elaborate any further, she already knew, "of course," she muttered softly, "who else could it have been?" she felt numb, cold like all the blood had drained from her and suddenly she had to steady herself against Tevos' desk.

"Are you alright?"

She looked up to see the matriarch watching her quietly, "Yes," she mumbled.

"You understand why I couldn't tell you?"

Jules nodded weakly, "Does anyone else know?"

"No. Like I said, I made a promise."

"Good."

"Shepard," Tevos pressed quietly, "can I count on your support now?"

Jules looked at her, only half aware of what she had been asked and unsure whether she even had an answer. Eventually she just frowned, "I'll see you in the morning, Tevos."

Tevos may have said goodnight but Jules wasn't really listening as she had already turned towards the door. She walked slowly back to her and Liara's room, barely even noticing the HTA officers this time as she mulled it all over in her head. It seemed so obvious now, she couldn't understand why it hadn't occurred to her before. Perhaps she had been too wrapped up in herself and her own feelings to notice what was in front of her.

When she entered their room, she found Liara sitting on the bed with her back to the door, gazing out across the city. Outside the sun was setting but the sight was obscured by thick storm clouds that were streaked across the sky, making the sea look black as ink. A distant rumble of thunder echoed across the city and heavy rain was thudding against the window.

Liara had left the lights off and the room was enveloped in shadow. She turned as Jules entered and smiled at first but her expression abruptly fell as she saw her, like she already knew what Jules was going to say.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Jules murmured softly, "You told Tevos where we were."

For a moment Liara said nothing, then she frowned and tilted her head away slightly, half-hiding it in shadow, "Are you angry?"

"No," she said and remarkably she found it was true, all of her earlier anger seemed to have disappeared, "if anything I'm impressed, I didn't think it was possible for us to keep secrets anymore."

She watched as the half of Liara's face that she could see crumpled as though in pain, "Jules, I-"

"Shh," Jules shut the door and walked forwards to sit on the bed next to her, so that their shoulders were touching, "it's alright, I understand why you did it."

Liara looked at her warily, "Do you?"

"Yes. You've been trying to persuade me to leave the Normandy for years," there was an awkward pause as Liara looked down at her hands. The soft sound of the rain filled the room and the lights of the city looked blurred and distorted through the rain-streaked window.

"Did Tevos contact you first?" she asked quietly after a while.

"Yes," Liara replied, "It was a few months ago, you were in engineering…" she paused, "talking to Tali," Jules closed her eyes briefly but let Liara continue, "Tevos said she wanted to speak to you but when she explained why I knew you would never agree. But if Grunt turned up with a ship and a squad, I thought you'd be more easily persuaded."

"So you told her where we were."

"Not at first. I needed to know more about the project before I agreed."

"Exactly how many times were you two in contact?"

Another pause, "Five."

Jules closed her eyes. She had known Liara had been hiding something during their melds recently, she had thought little of it. They both had things that didn't always feel like sharing, worries or idle daydreams or ideas they hadn't fully worked through yet. During true melds everything was laid bare but you knew instantly if there was something your partner would rather you didn't see. It would have been easy enough for either of them to break through those barriers at any point and see everything anyway but neither of them ever had. Trust and respect were the two things that stopped them, Jules certainly never thought they used it to lie to each other.

"Liara, if you were so desperate to get me off the Normandy and back to civilisation, why didn't you just talk to me?"

"What for? To tell you what you already knew? I know how stubborn you are, you didn't want to face losing the Normandy even if it meant staying there until it killed us both."

"Hey," Jules protested, "give me some credit, I'm the one who blew the Normandy up," Liara shot her a look and Jules sighed, "did you really think I cared about that hunk of metal so much I wouldn't have left it if you asked me to?"

"I did ask you to!" Liara exclaimed, "More than once, but this wasn't just about the Normandy, it was about you clinging onto the war like nothing has happened since then."

Jules stared at her incredulously, "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about. I love you Jules," she stated bluntly, "but... I miss the old you sometimes, that day on the Citadel..." she paused and took a deep breath, "the day the war ended... it _changed_ you."

Jules blinked at her, the sun had set fully now and she was little more than a silhouette in the dark. Another, louder rumble of thunder echoed above them, "Of course it changed me. I wiped out two entire species, the geth and the reapers are both gone because I decided to destroy them rather than risk trying to save them."

"You made the right decision," Liara said, though they had had this discussion so many times before, "the reapers were vile, keeping them alive in any form would have been abhorrent."

"But I was supposed to die with them!" she snapped, "But instead what did I get? Near immortality," she looked down at herself as though she could see the implants that were keeping her alive, "I committed mass genocide and it wasn't the first unethical choice I had to make to win the war. Why should _I_ get to be the one to still be here two hundred years later? Why should _I_ get to live a long and happy life when so many of the others are dead?"

Liara had her eyes closed and Jules could tell she was fighting back all of the usual arguments that came out at this point, "You have to let go of this, Jules," she almost pleaded, "this is why you had to leave the Normandy. I spent years watching you waste away on that damn ship because you refuse to move on!"

"Oh not you too," Jules snapped her teeth together in annoyance, "everyone wants me to move on, don't they? You, Aria, Tevos, you all seem to think it's so easy."

"Do you think I found it easy?" Liara challenged, "Moving on from Thessia?" Jules already knew the answer to that. In fact the shadow of Thessia still hung heavily over Liara, that was something she _did_ see during their melds. It was never a single thought or feeling that she could pick from the rest but a general mood that coloured them all.

"I know you miss Thessia," she muttered after a while, "I understand why you would want to help Tevos reclaim it-"

"This was never about Thessia," Liara cut in sharply, "I think I would have agreed to reclaim the vorcha home world if I thought it would give you some kind of purpose again! Hiding from the galaxy wasn't working and I was afraid that if it went on much longer you might finally lose your grip on reality."

"You make it sound like I'm going crazy."

"Jules," Liara shot her a look, "you _talk_ to _dead_ people!"

They fell silent as they both looked away. It was an annoyingly fair point, Jules supposed, "So that's why you did this?" she asked quietly, "You thought Tevos' project might give me some kind of purpose and help me move on?"

"I wanted you to realise that there is always something worth living for if you're willing to try and embrace it. I didn't want to go behind your back but-"

"I'm too stubborn and unreasonable to have a conversation with?"

"Jules..." Liara wearily placed a hand to her forehead and Jules felt briefly guilty. She hadn't intended the remark to be chiding, she'd actually been trying to lighten the mood with a bit of dry humour but she seemed to have miscalculated. After a moment Liara visibly steeled herself and shifted on the bed to face her fully, " _please,_ will you let me explain why I did this?"

Jules watched her soberly for a moment, her eyes were glittering through the shadows and her brow seemed to be creased in a painful frown, "I don't want to hear an explanation," she admitted at last but as Liara winced and began to turn away, Jules grabbed her hands and made her look back, "I want you to show me instead. _Everything_ this time."


	13. Legally Bound

_Chapter Thirteen – Legally Bound_

Liara awoke with Jules' thoughts echoing at the back of her mind. The remnants of the meld were still prickling at the edges of her consciousness, allowing stray thoughts and feelings to bleed through between them, manifesting themselves as strange, semi-conscious dreams.

As Liara dozed, she saw flashes of Mindoir, a small, quiet farming colony built on a windswept coast. A young Juliet Shepard was laughing as she splashed through the sea with her brother, chasing their border collie through the waves. Liara could remember the golden sunlight on her skin and the feel of the wind in her hair as clearly as Jules could and she smiled softly, these were the memories Jules went to when she felt most at peace.

It was a moment later that Liara realised the warmth was actually the sun lancing in through the window of their room and the sound of the waves was the steady rhythm of Jules' breathing. She was lying against Jules' chest – too comfortable to consider moving – and she could feel one of Jules' arms was draped around her back. Her other hand was clasped with Liara's, their fingers intertwined.

She kept her eyes closed as she lay there; the link between them was still strong enough for her to know Jules was already awake and was gazing out at the sunrise as she reminisced about her childhood and mused idly about the night before.

The meld had been deep, deeper than they had gone in a long time and – as promised – there had been no barriers, nothing hidden or held back. They had learned and relearned things about each other that had almost been forgotten over the centuries, they had both opened the doors to feelings they hadn't even realised they had been hiding and seen things in each other that _hadn't_ been hidden, but that they had simply chosen not to notice.

Liara had felt Jules' frustration, her guilt and her anger about the war and all the ways it could have turned out differently and Jules saw what it was like to watch it from the outside. This had brought more guilt as Jules had realised just how hard it had been for Liara to watch her deteriorate.

But in the end they had both realised that feeling guilty was pointless, as was dwelling on the past. Of course, knowing that wasn't going to make it any easier for Jules to let go of it all, Liara honestly didn't know if it would ever go away but at least it was no longer being denied.

She knew she would probably never get the old Jules back from before the war, too much had happened since then and too much had changed. But maybe that was no bad thing. After all, the Jules from before the war hadn't been her lover, and possibly never would have been.

"See? Something good comes from everything," Jules mumbled out loud and Liara smiled. She had felt the human listening in on her train of thought, "if destroying the reapers hadn't turned me into a cynical, guilt-ridden madwoman, we might never have gotten together. Though that doesn't say much for your taste in partners."

"Is it wrong of me to say I'm glad the reapers tried to wipe out all sentient life in the galaxy?" Liara asked softly. Jules chuckled and Liara felt the sound echo inside her chest, "have you been awake long?" she asked.

"About an hour. I was having a chat with Mordin."

Liara paused but didn't react too strongly, Jules' chats with the old crew were something she had come to understand a little more too, "What did he say?"

"That talking to someone who's been dead for two hundred years could be a sign of mental instability."

Liara smiled, "You're not unstable, Jules. You're just…"

"Crazy?"

"I was going to say unique. After all, no human has ever lived as long as you or been through all that you have. You've come out of it remarkably well considering."

"That's not what you thought on the Normandy."

Liara swallowed, often the most frightening thing about melds was the way they forced you to face your own feelings. It was hard to hide from them once they had been shared, sometimes you discovered as much about yourself as you did about your partner. She had never really admitted to herself how much living on the Normandy had affected her until last night.

"I shouldn't have kept my worries to myself back then," she said quietly, "I should have tried to help you sooner, rather than sitting back and watching you suffer."

"You've got nothing to feel guilty about," Jules replied, "and you weren't hiding anything from me, I just chose to ignore it. I pushed you away, I'm sorry."

Liara tensed a little, she could feel the lingering worry that was hiding behind those words, "It troubles you doesn't it? That I was able to lie to you."

There was a pause, Jules' thoughts had become conflicted but the meld was waning now and Liara couldn't pick up on any more than that. Her eyes fell on their hands, still clasped together with their fingers interlocked and she tightened her grip slightly.

"You weren't really _lying_ to me," Jules said at last, "and you only went behind my back because you cared so much. There was no deception for me to pick up on, was there?"

Liara closed her eyes, she could hear in Jules' voice that she was trying to convince herself more than anyone else, "But it still troubles you," she realised with a stab of pain. Her eyes began to sting involuntarily as she realised what she had done: broken Jules' trust, and if Jules didn't trust her anymore then-

"I _do_ trust you," Jules snapped suddenly, surprising Liara slightly as she unsuccessfully fought back the threat of tears, "Yeah, alright it bothers me! It bothers me that you _had_ to keep this from me, and that you were only able to because I was being such a pig-headed idiot! It bothers me that I managed to ignore how much living on the Normandy was hurting you, and that – despite the fact that we have been together for two hundred years and spent half that time inside each other's heads – I still managed not to notice the things that were staring me in the face! That's what bothers me!"

Liara sobbed softly, the whole situation was a sorry mess and it had only gotten this far because they had both been ignoring it in the hope it would resolve itself in the end. But it didn't work like that, you didn't get to live through all the things that they had lived through and then just walk out of the other side unscathed. It had been foolish to think one meld could begin to solve it all.

"Don't cry," Jules said more gently, she untangled their fingers and slipped both hands around Liara's waist. Liara shuffled further up her body to bury her head against Jules' neck, "I'll be alright," Jules muttered softly, " _we'll_ be alright. It just might take a while, that's all."

Liara sniffed and shifted her head slightly, "That's alright, neither of us are going anywhere. I'm just sorry I had to drag us into this mess to get us off the Normandy. If I had known Tevos' project was going to come with so many strings attached…"

Jules laughed slightly, "I'm glad we're here, between them Tevos, Aria and the HTA seem set to tear the galaxy apart. I'd rather be here to try and limit the damage whatever happens."

Liara frowned for a moment and then smiled curiously, Jules must have sensed her feelings as she suddenly looked down at her, "What is it?"

"Nothing. It's just, a few weeks ago you wanted nothing to do with the galaxy's problems, now you're determined to fix them?"

Jules shrugged slightly, "Old habits…"

Liara hid her smile and nuzzled back into Jules' neck. Perhaps leaving the Normandy had already done her some good, even after everything that had happened with the arms dealers.

"Oh yeah," Jules said as she picked up on that stray thought, "nothing like a good kidnaping and a firefight to get me back into the swing of things."

Liara smiled.

They must have lain there for twenty minutes or more as the meld finally faded and they were left with the solitude of their own thoughts. Neither of them felt the need to speak and the time passed idly as they lay in silence, occasionally drifting in and out of sleep.

They were finally interrupted by Tevos when her voice chimed over the comm as it had done the night before. Liara sighed softly as Jules answered it.

" _Damon is here,"_ the matriarch stated bluntly, _"we're calling a meeting to discuss Adarna's coup, in the main conference room in twenty minutes. You and Liara should both attend."_

"Fine," Jules replied.

" _Shepard,"_ there was a tentative pause before Tevos continued, _"last night I asked you if I could count on your support…"_

As she trailed off Liara felt Jules's muscles tighten briefly in mild annoyance, but she soon relaxed, "I suppose you'll find out, won't you?" she shut off the call and Liara saw a mischievous glint pass briefly through her eyes as she looked down at her and grinned, "There's no harm in keeping her guessing."

They made no hurry as they showered and dressed, after all that had happened over the past few days they had no qualms about keeping Tevos waiting either. In fact, when the twenty minutes were up, Liara was still standing by the wardrobe trying on jackets while Jules stood at the mirror behind her, combing back her dramatic mane of hair.

The human was grumbling quietly to herself as she tore the brush through the thick strands, frequently running into knots as she smoothed it into a silken red curtain down her back. There was still an ugly bruise at her temple from where the rifle butt had hit her and she winced more than once as she accidently passed the brush over it, only adding to her crankiness. Still, every grumble and muttered swear word made Liara smile to herself.

When the task was finally done Jules gazed at her own reflection and sighed as she flicked a stray lock out of her eyes.

"I'm going to have to get it cut," she decided.

Liara's head snapped round and she found herself staring incredulously at the back of Jules' head before she cleared her throat delicately, "How… short were you thinking?" she asked, attempting to sound casual.

"Chin length, maybe," Jules gestured with her hand, "it's far too long to be practical if we're going to be off on missions in the Athena Nebula," she must have caught sight of Liara pursing her lips in the mirror as she suddenly narrowed her eyes and smiled, "what's wrong."

Liara shrugged carefully and sauntered over to join her. She ran a hand down the beautifully smoothed hair and felt it was soft as silk against her fingers, "Could we compromise on shoulder length? I like it long."

"Well that depends," Jules smirked playfully, "do you want to be the one to get the knots out every morning?" she offered up the brush and Liara pretended to consider as she took it from her and continued Jules' work.

"I suppose that's a condition I could agree to," she ran the brush slowly down the length of the hair, to where the strands finally ended at the base of Jules' spine. Jules watched her for a moment and then sighed heavily.

"Oh _alright_ , shoulder length it is," she made a show of rolling her eyes and Liara smiled.

"Do you think we've kept them waiting long enough yet?"

Jules checked the time on her omni-tool and shrugged, "I'm sure a few more minutes won't hurt."

…

They were at least ten minutes late when they finally reached the conference room, though they had been sure to walk as slowly as possible through headquarters. For the first time in years Jules felt completely calm. She felt no impatience, no simmering anger, no supressed tingle of irritation lurking beneath the surface. It was so strange and unfamiliar after all these years of frustration and guilt that it almost felt as though something were missing.

She didn't kid herself that her problems were anything close to being resolved but somehow, letting go of them didn't seem quite so unthinkable anymore. Rationally she couldn't think why that would be, or what had changed, but she suspected it must have come from Liara. Melds as deep as the one they had shared often left you with a new sense of perspective.

They didn't talk about the meld again as they walked but instead found themselves chatting carelessly about unimportant things. As they reached the conference room, Liara made a joke that had them both laughing as they opened the door and went inside.

They were met instantly with the solemn, serious faces of the senior staff on the project. They were all seated around a long, oval table. Tevos sat in the middle with Aria and Grunt on either side, Rhys and the other two remaining doctors were also there along with Egret and several others whom Jules didn't recognise.

They all turned to look at them as they entered, frowning oddly as they probably wondered what the hell was so funny. Tevos in particular was watching them carefully, clearly curious after what she had told Jules the previous night. Only Aria was smirking quietly to herself.

Both she and Liara instantly stopped laughing, though they did exchange a smile as Jules cleared her throat, "Morning everyone," she greeted them brightly, "are we late?"

"Not at all, Commander Shepard," Jules didn't even find that being called 'Commander' annoyed her as she looked down and saw Director Damon seated in one of the chairs. He was twisted round uncomfortably to look at her but his smile was still dazzling.

 _He can keep smiling even when he's lying,_ Jules thought to herself, that was worth remembering.

"Shepard will do," Jules told him pleasantly and the smile only grew.

"Very well, take a seat," he indicated to two vacant chairs on the other side of Aria and Jules nodded. As she rounded the table, she realised all the people she recognised were on Tevos' side while the others – presumably HTA representatives – were sat on either side of Damon. Both sides formed what looked like interview panels and they seemed to be trying to intimidate each other through hard scowls.

All except Damon, of course. Who was still smiling.

"What were you two laughing about?" Aria muttered casually as Jules sat next to her, before giving her a sly smile as though she assumed it must have been something filthy. Jules didn't have the heart to tell her that it had actually been an innocent joke about Tevos and how the matriarch would react to their tardiness.

"Never you mind," she said instead. Aria shrugged nonchalantly and lounged back in her chair, legs crossed with her hands clasped across her stomach as she gazed at the HTA officials with mild distain.

"We are here to discuss recent events," Director Damon began pleasantly, "and the future of this project," he looked over at Jules as he said this and flashed her his smile which she returned in kind, though she was sure hers didn't make her eyes sparkle quite like his were.

Jules cocked her head curiously as she tried to get a measure of the man. After two hundred years she liked to think she had become a fairly good judge of character and she was surprised to find herself strangely drawn to this smiling, charming director despite the fact she had yet to even have a proper conversation with him.

She had done a bit of research on him over the past two days but she hadn't been able to find out much about his past. Mostly she had watched speeches and interviews with him and she had learned that he was quite popular, even if the HTA themselves weren't. Though admittedly most of his loyal followers didn't really care about his politics and instead spent hours talking about his smooth voice and his strong jawline and his nice eyes. And of course his smile, which seemed to be where most of his popularity lay.

Even Jules had to admit that Damon was attractive, and it had been a hell of a long time since she had even bothered to notice things like that in anyone except Liara. His looks were only a small part of what endeared him to her, however.

Generally speaking, she didn't like people in power. They were ambitious and arrogant, sometimes they arrogantly thought that they could change things for the better, sometimes they arrogantly abused their power for their own gain. Either way Jules didn't like it.

She didn't sense it in Damon though. He was confident, yes, but there was something genuine about him. His charisma seemed natural, not a tool he had honed for the purposes of conning people and Jules found that her first instinct was to like him, despite the fact she knew he was probably as manipulative as Tevos. Still, she hadn't forgotten what Aria had said about him and so she kept her guard up.

"The HTA has no authority over the future of this project," Tevos was telling him curtly, he seemed unfazed by her tone, however.

"The HTA is responsible for law enforcement on this planet," he replied, "and a large number of your staff are now sitting in one of our detention centres."

"Then let us discuss that," Tevos retorted, "but nothing more."

"As you wish," Damon held out his hands amicably, "the woman who was behind your kidnapping, Shepard," he again looked in her direction, "her name is Erica Jensen, she's one of the HTA's most wanted criminals. In fact," he paused to clear his throat, "she is _still_ one of the HTA's most wanted criminals."

Several of the other HTA officials made a point of looking down at their datapads and a slight murmur of embarrassment seemed to pass through the line of them.

Jules watched them suspiciously, "You mean, she got away?"

Damon's smile became sympathetic, "Once your associates," he nodded to Grunt and Egret, "told us where the warehouse was we sent several squads to clear it out but Erica had already fled. We're doing everything we can to track her down. But at least now we know she's operating out of the Sol System, we've been looking for her ever since the destruction of Omega forced her to relocate her base."

There was a grim chuckle from Aria, "You kicked her out of the Terminus so she decided to come and fuck up your territory? That sounds like Erica."

"You know her?" Jules asked.

"Not personally, but I've dealt with her people before. It's not a good idea to mess with her, when she wants something she won't stop until she gets it. You should probably start watching your back."

"That's reassuring," Jules muttered.

"I can assure you Shepard," Demon stepped in, "the HTA is doing everything possible to catch her. In the meantime we will ensure you have the best protection from us."

"We are perfectly capable of keeping Shepard safe ourselves," Tevos interjected before Jules could speak.

For the first time Damon's face fell a little, "With all due respect, you have lost your entire security force and you haven't done a terribly good job of keeping her safe so far."

Jules attempted to speak again but Tevos cut her off.

"Shepard is part of _this_ project and _we_ are responsible for her safety, I will not have HTA officers in these corridors for longer than necessary."

Jules didn't even bother opening her mouth this time as Damon leaned forward sharply, "I was led to believe that Shepard has no formal contract with you yet, we will see whether she still wants to be a part of your project after all that has happened."

"Well, well," Aria murmured in an undertone as she leaned in so only Jules and Liara could hear her, "everyone's getting all protective of you, Shepard."

As the heated debate continued Jules just sighed and gave up on the idea of actually being allowed to speak for herself.

"No one seems concerned with _my_ safety," Liara muttered, "and I'm the one who got shot. Multiple times."

"You don't have very expensive implants keeping you alive," Jules said with a smile.

"That's not what this is about," Aria was watching Damon with distaste as he continued his sparring with Tevos, "he just wants to have as many armed HTA guards in this building as possible so that they can spy on everything we do."

"Don't you think you're being paranoid?" Jules asked and earned herself a sharp glare from the asari.

"You don't know them like I do. Why else would _Damon_ be so bothered about this?"

Jules looked over to see that the director had completely lost his smile now and was raising his voice slightly as Tevos continued to push back against him, "He does have a temper then," Jules muttered, "I was starting to think he was all smiles."

"I told you not to be fooled by his charms," Aria sneered as she eyed him like you would a plate of rotten food, "he gets nasty when things don't go his way."

As Jules watched him, she saw that Aria might well be right. The dazzling blue in his eyes had turned to ice and something cold had crept into his tone as he argued his case.

"He's still good looking though…" she mused absently, then winced as she got a sharp kick in the ankle from Liara's side, "ow!" she complained, despite the fact it had been barely more than a tap. She turned to see Liara giving her a wry smile.

"Seven people died in this building," Damon's voice suddenly cut in across the room, his tone had taken on a hard edge and his expression had turned suddenly serious. Any low murmuring in the room abruptly ceased and even Tevos seemed to back down a little as she clasped her hands together and let him continue, "and numerous others were injured. You have already failed in your duty of care to your staff, you are lucky you have been allowed to remain here at all. Erica may well target Shepard again and Adarna could have other supporters ready to seek revenge. It is in your interests to let us aid you."

There was a sincerity in his tone that would be hard for Tevos to argue with without looking petty and everyone in that room knew that Damon was speaking sense. Aria must have realised it too, Jules could practically hear her grinding her teeth together and her fists were clenched over the arms of her chair.

Tevos took a moment to look left and right along her own side of the table, locking eyes briefly with Aria and then Grunt before she finally conceded, "Very well. We appreciate your offer of help, Director, it seems we have little choice but to take you up on it."

"A gracious decision," Damon replied, his smile had returned and his eyes had softened once more and Jules marvelled at how suddenly his demeanour could shift, "you will receive all the support we can offer you."

"He's very good at this, isn't he?" Jules muttered quietly as she watched him, "I never managed to get Tevos to roll over that easily, not even when I told her my home world was burning."

"He knows how to manipulate people," Aria agreed darkly.

"Or maybe he's just a good diplomat."

Aria turned to give her a look, "What is it with you and this idiot? Do you think that because he's got sexy eyes and nice smile that he must be one of the good guys?"

Jules frowned sharply, "I just think your opinion of him is coloured by what happened to Omega. I'd rather figure him out for myself."

"How? By jumping into bed with him? It's nauseating enough that he has half the galaxy wrapped around his little finger but I _really_ didn't think that you would fall for him too."

" _Ahem,"_ Liara cleared her throat loudly enough to attract their attention and they looked round to see her nodding meaningfully to the continuing debate. Aria and Jules exchanged a last, reproachful look and then fell silent.

The rest of the discussion revolved around Adarna, what she had been planning and how she had managed to keep it hidden for so long. Tevos had pieced together all sorts of evidence over the past two days that seemed to suggest she had been planning this from the very beginning of the project. She had needed Tevos' contacts and influence to gather enough investors to fund the project, once they were ready to go she would have found a way to quietly remove Tevos and would have taken over herself.

Tevos' insistence that Jules and Liara should be found had delayed things but Adarna had seen a way to profit from it. Unfortunately, dealing with illegal arms dealers wasn't something Adarna had much experience with and she had miscalculated on several points. Liara was the one who was chiefly attributed to exposing her plot when she had attacked the so-called 'paramedics' outside the headquarters, but when Damon said as much and all eyes turned on her, Liara only cleared her throat and shifted uncomfortably until the conversation moved on.

It also transpired that Doctor T'Carra had broken down and started talking from almost the moment she had been put in an interview room. She had told HTA officers that Adarna had spent years slowly turning Tevos' own staff against her, making them believe that Tevos could never get them to Thessia. T'Carra had truly believed Adarna would have been a better leader for the project, but she had been so wracked with guilt over what she had done to Jules that she had wanted to confess everything. A lot of the security staff had started talking too, in the hope of saving themselves by blaming Adarna.

"So, this brings us to the events in the warehouse," Damon stated after it became clear that the evidence against Adarna was so great there wasn't a lawyer alive that could have cleared her name. As he mentioned the warehouse he looked pointedly towards Jules and Liara and then across to Grunt and Egret, "we found a total of fifty-eight casualties caused by the four of you."

"I hope you're not suggesting they should be punished for defending themselves," Tevos cut in sharply, it surprised Jules how on-edge she was around Damon, as if she felt genuinely threatened by him. He, meanwhile, remained as insouciant as ever.

"Defending themselves?" he repeated, "No. However, Egret has given us an account of the execution that Shepard carried out."

An uneasy murmur spread around the table and Jules leaned forwards a little to peer towards Egret. The asari didn't meet her eye, instead she was staring down into her lap, looking decidedly uncomfortable. Beside her, Grunt shifted in his seat and gave Jules an apologetic look. Jules sighed and leaned back again.

"Execution is a very strong word, Director," she said calmly.

"Though accurate, based on Egret's description," Damon looked down at one of the datapads in front of him, "I believe your victim was unarmed, injured and pinned beneath some wreckage when you shot her at point blank range. Unprovoked."

Jules saw a sharp movement to her left as Liara jerked forwards, clearly ready to speak her mind but Jules grabbed her arm before she could say anything. Liara's eyes glittered angrily for a moment but in the end she nodded and stayed silent.

"The woman in question had built a device that could control my implants remotely." Jules explained, "One of her staff had already tried to kill me with it. I destroyed the device but I thought it was too dangerous to let the doctor live when she had that kind of knowledge. It's unlikely Erica would have left without her and I'll sleep easier knowing she's not going to be strapping me to an operating table again."

"All the same, that wasn't your decision to make," Damon told her and for a moment Jules frowned, trying to work out exactly what he meant by that.

"Are you going to arrest me for it?" she challenged.

"I doubt that will be necessary," Tevos cut in before Damon could answer her, "the HTA and I have certain arrangements when it comes to members of my staff."

"I believe we have already established that Shepard has signed no formal contract with you," Damon argued.

"I'm sure that can be rectified," Tevos replied, as she did so she cast Jules a brief, sideways glance as though to judge her reaction. It took Jules a moment to realise what had just happened but once she did, she felt her heart sink.

"Sign the contract or get arrested," she muttered, almost to herself, "that's a hell of a choice."

Beside her, Aria snorted, "Sounds familiar, you're in danger of becoming predictable, Tevos."

The matriarch said nothing.

"Yes, well," Damon cleared his throat, "we can work out the details of that in private. For now I think this meeting is concluded."

There was the scraping of chairs as Damon and his people stood, a brief nod was exchanged between him and Tevos and then his eyes – and his smile – lingered on Jules before he turned and led the others out of the room.

As the door closed, all the facades fell. Tevos sighed and tossed a datapad irritably down in front of her, Aria kicked her feet up onto the table and began grumbling audibly to herself and Grunt and Egret immediately began having a hushed conversation. Rhys and the doctors merely sat watching it all.

Jules was the first to speak up.

"That was a nice little plan to trap me there, Tevos," she muttered bitterly, "did you think it up on the spot?"

"I am not trying to trap you," Tevos replied wearily, "Damon is the one doing that, I am merely trying to help you in the only way I can. But I wouldn't worry, if we don't think of something soon the project may well collapse and there'll be no need for you to formally join it anyway."

"What do you mean?" Liara asked, aside from her almost-outburst she had remained quiet throughout most of the meeting but was now leaning forwards curiously to look at Tevos. The matriarch hesitated.

"Our investors are pulling out by the dozen. I think Adarna must have turned _them_ against me too, now that she has gone they're refusing to fund the project anymore, in fact many of them are demanding their money back. If we don't find a way to replace those investors, the project won't survive for much longer."

An unsettled silence fell and after a moment Tevos seemed to turn towards Aria. The asari blinked at her for a moment and then shrugged.

"Don't look at me. I've already given you everything I had left."

"Surely you can find new investors," Rhys chipped in with an optimistic smile, "especially with news of Shepard's return spreading across the galaxy, that should generate some interest."

"News of her being kidnapped and Adarna going crazy is spreading across the galaxy," Aria corrected him, "hardly makes us seem like a safe investment."

"And our time is limited," Tevos added, "this project has a lot of running costs, if we can't replace those investors soon we'll begin to run up debt quickly."

"I can get you the money," Jules muttered suddenly, drawing confused looks from everyone – Liara included.

"How?" Tevos enquired.

She shrugged, "Like you said, my name carries weight these days, with some people more than others. I'll get you all the funding you need and then I'll sign whatever contract you want me to – provided you can keep the HTA off my back, of course."

"Jules," Liara hissed beside her and Jules turned to see her looking worried. Liara cast a glance over Jules' shoulder at the others and then leaned in to whisper to her, "it's unlikely the HTA actually want to arrest you. They probably want to offer you some kind of deal instead."

"Which probably involves me working for them instead of Tevos," Jules agreed, "trust me, I am not doing this to keep myself out of prison, I want to find out what's going on in asari space and Tevos is right, for this project to work, we have to be able to rely on each other," Jules couldn't quite believe she could hear that coming out of her own mouth but as Liara gave her an understanding nod she steeled herself and turned back to the others.

"Do we have a deal, Tevos?" she asked expectantly.

"If you can get us the funding," Tevos agreed, "but who exactly are you planning to contact?"

…

The holographic interface flickered briefly as Jules adjusted the comm. She and Liara had cleared the staff out of the comm room in Tevos' headquarters and now stood alone in the large, circular room as the picture came into focus.

There, seated in front of them in what looked like some kind of stone throne, Urdnot Wrex lounged casually. He looked old, Jules thought as he came into view. He was of course, centuries old, maybe even a millennium. But at that moment he _really_ looked it.

His thick skin was like leather and hung heavily from him, the red plates at his forehead were pale and faded, like plastic left for too long in the sun, and there was something weary about the way he was sitting, slumped to one side as he tilted his head and scrutinised them critically through blood red eyes. After a second, he grunted.

"You look like shit, Shepard," he drawled, his deep voice grating like stone against metal.

Jules couldn't supress a grin, just hearing Wrex's voice again was enough to trigger an irrational surge of happiness in the pit of her stomach, despite everything else that was going on, "It's good to see you too Wrex," she told him, trying and failing to contain the genuine excitement in her voice.

He just grunted again and turned away from her to nod at Liara, "You look good, T'Soni."

Liara smiled brightly and nodded and Jules made a point of rolling her eyes, "Oh of course, you tell the gorgeous asari _she_ looks good."

"Don't get smart, Shepard," Wrex warned suddenly, "I'm still pissed off with you."

Jules might normally have laughed that off as Wrex just being Wrex, but the genuine annoyance in his voice made her pause, "Okay…" she said unsurely, "what have I done?"

"Oh I dunno," he shrugged, "maybe you ran off for a hundred years without so much as a word and didn't even bother to contact me to let me know you weren't dead? Not to mention the couple of hundred godchildren you left behind on Tuchanka, you've got a hell of a lot of birthdays to catch up on."

For a moment Jules thought he was joking, but the red glint in his eye told her otherwise and she shifted uneasily, "Krogan don't have godparents," she said at last, "you told me so yourself."

"And you said you were as good as," he retorted, "you said you'd be there if any of them ever needed you, you said that Tuchanka itself could call on you at any time. Then you ran off with the Normandy and no one ever heard from you again!" he slammed his fist down on the arm of his throne, making both Jules and Liara jump in surprise.

"C'mon Wrex," Jules laughed nervously, "don't you think you're overreacting?"

"Do you two have kids yet?" he demanded, pointing a finger accusingly at them and drawing looks of alarm from them both. Jules looked uncertainly at Liara and she just shrugged helplessly.

"Erm…" Jules began, "we're not really the maternal types."

It was true. Children had never been on Liara's list of life goals, she may have loved Jules but the thought of sharing her with a miniature, blue-skinned version of her didn't appeal to Liara at all. In fact, the very idea made her feel a bit sick and anxious, Jules had felt that through their melds.

Jules had wanted children once, back when she was a teenager on Mindoir dreaming about marrying a farmer and living a quiet life. When fate had intervened and snatched that life from her, the dreams had been easy to let go of and they had never returned. Now, like Liara, she had no desire to add a third wheel to their dynamic.

"Hmph, maybe that explains it," Wrex grumbled, "at least you didn't have to see the looks on their little faces when I explained that Auntie Shepard had left without saying goodbye."

"Auntie?" Jules queried sceptically, "I was a godmother two minutes ago."

"Shut up Shepard! I'm trying to make you feel guilty."

There was a moment of unease as Jules opened her mouth and then found she really didn't know what to say. She had expected Wrex to be happy to see her again, though in hindsight perhaps that had been a bit thoughtless of her. Now, as Wrex continued to stare at her darkly, she felt her previous happiness at seeing him twist into something unpleasant and she swallowed back a sting of guilt.

Then the silence was suddenly broken as Liara chuckled lightly.

"Jules," she smiled, "I think he's teasing us."

As she said it, Wrex heaved a sigh and slouched even more, "Maybe a bit," he admitted moodily, "but don't think I'm not angry. You could at least have told me you were going."

"I know," Jules said softly, "I'm sorry Wrex. After the rest of the crew were gone I… well, I wasn't myself. How _are_ the kids, anyway?"

"Urgh," the question thankfully seemed to distract him from being annoyed with her as he practically collapsed back into his throne and rested his head lazily against a clenched fist, "there's been lot of new arrivals since you've been gone, and there's at least five more on the way."

"Wow, you're still busy then?" Jules flashed him a smile and only got a scowl in return.

"I'm running out of space for them all, they all think that because Urdnot Wrex is their father they should get land and high ranking positions just handed out to them. You remember all those females who wanted me to father their children? Said it would be a great honour because I was the strongest krogan alive, now all they do is badger me all day to give the damn kids money and jobs and university placements."

"University placements?"

"We do have universities on Tuchanka now, Shepard, don't look too surprised."

Jules cleared her throat, "Of course. Sorry. What does Bakara have to say about all this?"

"Are you kidding?" he looked up sharply, "She's the worst of them! She's the one who keeps encouraging the others and then she starts nagging me on 'stepping up to my responsibilities'. You know, ever since the Genophage was cured, the females have been picking and choosing males like prize animals, only going for the ones they think will give them the strongest children."

"Isn't that what krogan culture was always like?"

"To a point!" he snapped, "but now… they're taking over, Shepard," he stared blankly into space, a strange frown on his brow as he continued, "they want to run everything, the universities, the schools, the government! Before long we'll have a revolution on our hands!"

Jules had to bite her lip to keep from laughing as his tone became increasingly wild. She turned to catch Liara's eye and saw the asari was staring at him curiously. Coming from a culture with absolutely no concept of gender, she must have found the conversation baffling.

"I think your fatherly duties are getting to you Wrex," Jules smiled, "you seem a little paranoid."

"Maybe," he grunted, "trouble is they keep coming to me with all these… ideas. And then they expect me to do something about them and if I don't they start lecturing me on 'my children's futures'… urgh," his head fell helplessly against his hand again and Jules couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him.

"How's Mordin?" she asked. This time she wasn't referring to the salarian professor but instead to Wrex and Bakara's eldest son and – sort of – heir. She had never admitted it out loud but Mordin had always been Jules' favourite of Wrex's children.

He had been trouble since they day he was born, always raising hell and causing havoc but he'd had a cheeky charm about him that let him get away with most of it. He had never been the most krogan-like krogan and he had faced a lot of criticism from Wrex's rivals but he had always seemed to shrug it off with a grin and a joke.

He had just been reaching adolescence when Jules had left, she had often wondered over the years how he was doing now he was grown up.

Wrex didn't seem too happy at the mention of his eldest son however as he huffed and frowned, "You remember what he was like when he was just a tyke, he's causing even more trouble now he's older," Wrex didn't seem inclined to elaborate further however as he quickly changed the subject, "So, are you calling me just to say hello or was there something you wanted?"

Jules hesitated, the brash edge to Wrex's voice hadn't softened much and she was beginning to realise that she wasn't the only one who had become grumpier over the past two centuries. She wanted to ask more about Mordin and all the other kids but after she had been away for so long Wrex might not think she had the right to. So she decided to get straight down to business instead.

"I wanted to ask you about Tevos, you're one of her investors, aren't you?"

"That's right," Wrex chuckled and Jules was surprised to see the mention of it seemed to cheer him up a bit, "that was one hell of a moment, you should have been there to see a whole delegation of asari turn up on my doorstep to beg me for money. Ha!" the memory was clearly a pleasant one for him, "We gave them the tour of our capital, showed them the galleries and the museums and the big damn plaque that says we're the cultural capital of the galaxy while their precious Thessia lies in ruins! 'Bout time the asari were brought down a peg or two!" he descended into loud guffaws of laughter before finally composing himself and looking at Liara, "Er, no offence."

"None taken," Liara muttered as she and Jules exchanged a glance.

"What are you bringing this up for anyway?" Wrex asked, "I only agreed to fund the expedition to find you, now you've been found she doesn't need anything more from me. That was what we agreed."

"Actually, _we_ do need more from you, Wrex… a lot more."

"We?" Wrex's eyes narrowed, "You've actually joined her? Shit, I didn't think she'd get you to agree. I thought you'd just run off and do your own thing or maybe come to Tuchanka or something. That was the whole reason I agreed to help her find you."

"Sorry Wrex, there's too much riding on this project. I don't understand all the details myself but I have to see it through."

"Hmph," Wrex didn't seem convinced, "and you need my money to do it?" his face twisted into an ugly snarl as he rested his elbow on his knee and leaned forward thoughtfully, "I don't like this, Shepard. Tevos is probably manipulating you."

"I doubt she's the only one," Jules agreed, "but I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."

He peered at her suspiciously, "What's this all about, Shepard?"

Jules and Liara told him everything they knew about the project – which turned out to be painfully little – and then they explained about Adarna, the arms dealers, the HTA, not to mention Aria's strange interest in in finding Thessia, which Jules was still suspicions about. By the end of it Wrex didn't seem any happier.

"You have to be careful with the HTA," he muttered distractedly after Jules had finished, he was grinding his teeth slightly as he gazed at something Jules couldn't see on the holographic interface, "they call themselves a 'peacekeeping force' but they control the law enforcement on every major planet in the Traverse. They keep trying to send their men here too but I've told them we can enforce our own damn laws without their help. Doesn't stop them from controlling the trade routes and rationing out the eezo though."

The mention of eezo piqued Jules' interest, "How bad is the eezo situation?"

"Urgh," he grumbled, "the HTA controls all of it and who it goes to. If anyone else tries to trade or transport it they get locked up in an HTA detention centre and are never heard from again. Dunno when they got the authority to start implementing intergalactic laws like that, probably when they built the biggest damn fleet in the galaxy, which just proves they're keeping most of the eezo for themselves. No one else could build a fleet to rival them on the rations we're given."

"Maybe that'll change when we reclaim Thessia."

"Yeah," he snorted grimly, "maybe it'll start an intergalactic war. Plenty of people want to bring the HTA down, taking over the eezo trade would do that. Whoever gets their hands on Thessia better be damn sure they can defend it."

"Why do you think the HTA is so keen to keep people out of asari space?" Liara asked thoughtfully.

Wrex shrugged heavily, "I'm damned if I know. I'm surprised they haven't just gone in and taken Thessia for themselves by now, but I hear asari space is dangerous these days, maybe it's too much even for them."

Jules breathed out slowly as she nodded, "Will you help me get to the bottom of this? I need to know what's going on and Tevos' project is the only way I can do that."

Wrex considered her for a moment and then shook his head, "Tevos can't be trusted, I won't help her any more than I already have. But I will help _you_ , Shepard, if this is what you need."

"Really?" for a moment Jules faltered, unsure whether he was being serious, "You'll fund the project?"

He shrugged, "Sure. It's about time someone kicked this galaxy back into shape, might as well be you. Just watch yourself, you can't trust the asari, manipulating people is second nature to them. Er… no offence," he told Liara again, this time she didn't bother to answer him.

Wrex gave them plenty more words of warning, urging them not to trust Tevos or Aria or specifically the HTA. The last one in particular made Jules curious, was the HTA really so tyrannous that everyone wanted to bring them down? Or were they just being blamed for everything because they happened to have the most power? She couldn't decide.

Wrex finally said goodbye – though not before making them promise to visit him before another century went by – and as the call shut off, Jules and Liara were left staring at each other.

"What do you think?" Jules asked after a moment, though it was a rather broad question considering how many threads there were to all of this.

Liara shrugged helplessly, "Tevos is going to make us sign those contracts if we want to stay on the project and if we're going to find out what's going on with Thessia then I don't see that we have much choice."

Jules nodded, it had always been inevitable anyway; still, she had never liked having her name put to a legally binding agreement of any kind. She couldn't help but feel like she was shutting off an escape route.

"We'll just have to make sure we read the small print," she decided, "wouldn't want to accidently sign up to have my implants removed or anything – just to pick a random example."

…

When they re-entered the conference room they found Tevos and the others were still there though many of them were on their feet and milling around the room with worried looks on their faces. Hushed conversations abruptly ceased as they entered and all eyes turned towards them.

Tevos and Aria were the furthest away and were both standing with their arms folded as they broke off whatever they had been saying to look at them. Grunt and Egret were lingering nearby and Egret was looking especially nervous as she chewed on her thumb nail and eyed Jules cautiously. Jules wondered if she was feeling guilty about telling the HTA about Aegina. She hoped not, she would never have asked or expected the kid to lie for her.

Right now she had no chance to speak to her about it however as Tevos was walking calmly towards her, "Well?" she asked expectantly as she approached.

Jules held her gaze for a second, "Wrex has agreed to fund the project, he'll give you whatever you need."

Tevos only half managed to hide a sigh of relief, though it was quickly replaced with her usual composure, "And you and Liara?" she asked evenly, "Will you formally join the project now? I won't be able to protect you from the HTA if you don't."

"Oh don't worry," Jules muttered, "we'll sign your contract."

"Provided we agree on all the terms," Liara added, before throwing Tevos a cold smile that made Jules supress a chuckle. Perhaps she should warn Tevos how meticulous Liara was when it came to this sort of thing. Or perhaps it was better to let her find that out on her own.

"Now that you have the funding, how long will it be before we're ready to go?"

Tevos considered that, glancing back at Aria and Grunt, "We've lost nearly half our staff and we still have a lot to sort out after Adarna's coup but – barring any more disasters – we should be ready in… six months?"

There was a general murmur of agreement from the others in the room.

"Will six months give you enough time, Shepard?" Aria asked her lazily and Jules frowned.

"Enough time for what?"

"To get back in shape," Aria looked her up and down critically, "right now you look like a strong breeze might snap you in half."

Jules followed Aria's gaze and then looked back at her with a tight smile, "Oh don't you worry, by the time we leave I will be ready for anything."


	14. Misfits

_Chapter Fourteen – Misfits_

"She's beautiful."

Jules stood in the docking port, gazing up at the hull of the ship as it glimmered silver-blue in the sunlight. It was identical in every way to the Armali and the other two of Tevos' flagships that would be entering the Athena Nebula but for some reason Jules found herself appreciating it more than the others.

The hull was smooth and rounded and seemed to reflect the sunlight, bathing the landing pad in a dazzling rainbow of colours. It wasn't a large ship but it was bigger than the Normandy had been and it seemed to have been built for aesthetics as much as for practicality.

"What did you say it was called?" she looked to her left where Tevos stood beside her. A gentle breeze brushed past them, rippling the fabric of the matriarch's dress as she clasped her hands behind her back.

"The Janiri."

"The asari goddess of seasons and storms," Jules observed with a slight quirk of her brow. She knew it was also one of the planets in the Parnitha System and a city on Thessia. It had also been the name of one of Liara's cuddly toys when she was a child but that was probably less relevant. When Jules had first found that out she remembered thinking how typical it was for Liara to have named her toys after characters from asari mythology rather than 'Cuddles' or 'Fluffy' like most children would.

In contrast, Jules' favourite toy had been an old, worn teddy bear which she had imaginatively named: Ted. He was one of the many things she had lost when Mindoir was attacked.

"She's yours if you want her," Tevos said calmly as she gazed up the sparkling hull. The comment didn't make immediate sense to Jules and she found herself frowning oddly.

"What?"

"The ship," Tevos reiterated, "it can be yours if you'd like."

Jules blinked, "Seriously?"

Tevos nodded, "Grunt commands the Armali, I will be commanding the Athame, Aria the Tevura-"

"You're giving Aria her own ship?" Jules cut in but Tevos ignored her as she continued.

"The Janiri was supposed to be commanded by Adarna. Since that will no longer be possible, I'm offering it to you."

For a moment Jules said nothing.

It had been little more than a week since she and Liara had signed the contracts that made them formally part of the project and it had been a week filled with endless meetings and discussions as Tevos and her staff mapped out the details of the expedition.

From what Jules had been able to gather, it was basically a scout mission. The four ships were unarmed but equipped with stealth technology that would allow them to remain undetected when they entered asari space. After passing through the mass relay, the four ships would split up and between them they would cover all five of the star systems in the Athena Nebula, surveying planets and going on recon missions to gather as much data as possible.

The ultimate goal was to get a picture of the political situation out there, who all the factions were, who held the most power and where they were based. Only then would they be able to form a plan to retake Thessia – assuming it would even be possible.

While they would remain in contact, each ship would essentially be operating alone.

"You're giving me my own command?" Jules asked sceptically, "Just like that?" perhaps it was just her being paranoid but she always felt like she might be walking into a trap when Tevos started offering her things.

"Unless you can think of anyone better," Tevos agreed, there was a cold edge to her voice as she said it, like Jules' mistrust was starting to irritate her. That, in turn, irritated Jules, it wasn't like she didn't have good reason to be suspicious.

Still, the thought of having a ship of her own again did hold an appeal and it would be better than having to take orders from one of the others. She folded her arms and moved away, wandering slowly around the perimeter of the landing pad to examine the ship from all angles. Tevos followed, watching her closely.

As she moved, the light danced off the surface of the hull, occasionally blinding her or bathing her in a multi-coloured spotlight. _The Janiri,_ she mulled the name over in her mind; it was prettier than the Normandy but not as dramatic… and it didn't have any guns. Maybe that was something she could rectify once they got into asari space.

"What about a crew?" she asked Tevos as she led the asari slowly in a full circle.

"We've still yet to decide who will be assigned to which ship. However, you will have the chance to work and train with all potential crew members. You, Grunt, Aria and I will have to fight over who we want."

Jules raised her eyebrows, "With the four of us in one room that could end up being literal. I heard you already went a few rounds with Aria."

She threw Tevos a smile but the asari didn't rise to the jibe, "The majority of your crew will be there to conduct planetary surveys and collect data," she explained coolly, "but you will also have a fully trained squad at your disposal for ground missions. Knowing the way you attract trouble I'm sure you'll make use of them."

"The way _I_ attract trouble," Jules stopped walking and turned to find Tevos looking at her expectantly, as though challenging her to argue, "I don't ask to have lunatics chasing me all the time you know."

"And yet they always seem to find you."

"Hmph," Jules grumbled softly, "must be my magnetic personality."

Tevos regarded her calmly as her attention fell back to the ship. The matriarch waited a moment but when Jules didn't speak she pressed her question again, "Will you accept, Shepard? I can think of no one better to command the Janiri than you."

"Yeah right," Jules muttered, "what you really mean is that there's no one else on the project who can command a ship."

"There's certainly no one who could compare to you."

"And you can stop trying to butter me up with compliments, I'm too old for it," Jules sighed heavily, chewing on the corner of her mouth as she gazed up at the iridescent hull, sparkling and shimmering in the warmth of the day. It really was beautiful.

She already knew she had no choice but to say yes, but a sting of pride stopped her from jumping at Tevos' offer right away.

"I have two conditions," she stated prompting Tevos to nod once, she had clearly been expecting as much, "firstly," she raised a finger to emphasise, "Liara stays with me, no one else gets to have her on their crew."

"Naturally," Tevos agreed with a tilt of her head, "and secondly?"

Jules took a step closer, finger still raised until she was pointing directly into Tevos' face, "No one – and I _mean_ no one – calls me ' _Commander_ ', understood?"

Tevos' lips quirked briefly into a rare but genuine smile, then it vanished again in an instant and she merely nodded, "I'll make sure to put out a memo so that everyone is informed."

"Best make it two," Jules said coldly, "just in case they miss the first one."

The fell into silence as they stood there and Jules took the opportunity to appreciate the fresh air on her skin and the warmth of the midday sun. After spending so much time on the Normandy, she had almost forgotten the joy of real air; suddenly the thought of getting back onto a ship again wasn't all that appealing. At least it would be _her_ ship.

"May I ask you something?" Tevos said softly after a while and Jules supressed an irritable sigh.

"I don't know. Was that in the contract I signed? Shepard must answer all questions that Tevos asks her?"

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to. There's just something I'm curious about."

"Oh everybody's curious about me," Jules agreed grimly, "I can't walk through the headquarters without someone asking me what it was like fighting the reapers or how did I defeat Saren or is it true that Matriarch Benezia was actually the rachni queen? – I'd love to know how the hell _that_ story got started," Jules looked over to see Tevos had fallen silent and her face remained impassive as she stared up at the Janiri. It was clear she had no intention of pressing any further after the outburst and Jules found that actually annoyed her more. After a moment she rolled her eyes, "go on then, what nugget of my life are _you_ interested in?"

"I was just wondering why you don't like being called Commander," Tevos said calmly.

"Because I'm not one anymore."

"But you will be if you take command of the Janiri. And I have a feeling there's more to it than that."

Jules didn't answer at once, instead glaring at Tevos reproachfully. She hated it when people were that perceptive about her feelings. People who weren't Liara, anyway.

"The title doesn't belong to me," she said after a minute, "Commander Shepard is some great hero who saved us all from the reapers. Or a reckless moron who destroyed the mass relays and doomed us all. Or a mythical character from legends. Or a total fantasy from an elaborate conspiracy. There are a lot of things people think of when they say 'Commander Shepard' but none of them are me. The part of me that _was_ Commander Shepard is gone now, she died with the reapers."

Tevos looked at her thoughtfully and for a moment Jules was afraid they were about to get into a deep conversation about it, but then she simply nodded and said: "We should get back, I have a meeting with your lawyer in an hour, it seems the Reaper War Museum are trying to bring a case against you for stealing the Normandy from them a century ago."

Jules stared at her in surprise, "You're kidding?" she hadn't even been aware that she had a lawyer.

"I wouldn't worry," Tevos shrugged indifferently, "I'm confident we can get it sorted before it ever goes to court. The Truthseekers are also trying to sue you for claiming the Reaper War ever took place but don't worry about that either, they try to take similar action against me at least twice a year."

Jules blinked, "Any other legal disputes I should know about?"

"Nothing unexpected. There are plenty of people trying to prove you aren't the real Shepard, others are claiming to be related to you or seeking justice for some wrong you did to their family centuries ago. I doubt you'll need to get personally involved in any of them."

"And you're handling all of this for me?" Jules asked, waiting for some kind of catch, but Tevos simply shrugged.

"You signed the contract, you're one of my staff. You're problems are now my problems," Jules couldn't decide whether that was reassuring or simply a little unnerving. She wondered if there would be a future price for all this help that she hadn't been made aware of yet.

She tried not to worry about it. Liara had gone through both their contracts with a fine tooth comb and had fiercely negotiated with Tevos on several points until she was finally satisfied that there were no hidden clauses or loopholes that they could fall foul of. Still, she couldn't help being uneasy.

"Besides," Tevos continued, "I doubt you'll have the time to handle court cases. Word has gone round that you're looking to hone your combat skills, apparently you have no shortage of people willing to be your sparring partner. I hear they're even drawing up a league table."

"Really?" Jules smiled slightly as she and Tevos began walking towards the exit.

"Aria and Grunt are gathering all the squad members together in the training hall today, they want to see them all in action, you should join them. Aria is taking bets, of course, apparently she has three-to-one odds that you won't make it through five matches without collapsing from exhaustion."

Jules sucked on her teeth, "Does she now?" as she said it she felt a smile touch her lips and a strange rush of anticipation run through her. It had been a long time since she'd had the thrill of a challenge.

…

Barbet stood straight and tall with his hands clasped behind his back as he tried to ignore how conspicuous he felt. It wasn't that he was the only batarian on Tevos' project, or that he was taller than everyone else in the room, or that he carried fifty years' worth of battle scars on his face and was missing his lower left eye. All of this he was used to and had stopped thinking about years ago.

However, while standing silently in a line with twenty of Tevos' best soldiers, being closely scrutinised by Aria T'Loak and the young but famous krogan who had once served with Commander Shepard, it was hard not to be a little self-conscious.

He tried to put it out of his mind, the way Aria and Grunt were muttering inaudibly to each other, the way Aria's eyes narrowed critically at each of them in turn and particularly the way Grunt chuckled now and then at some comment she made to him.

It was humiliating being sized up like prize animals, there was no doubt about that. But Barbet had been a soldier for five decades, he had seen enough not to be intimidated by a bit of scrutiny.

The same couldn't be said for everyone in the line. Barbet was particularly aware of a young turian at the far end who was constantly shifting his weight from foot-to-foot and seemed to be concentrating on trying not to fidget. There were others who were simply becoming bored, they had been standing there for well over ten minutes and neither Grunt nor Aria had actually addressed them yet as they continued their whisperings from a distance.

Barbet himself was just beginning to wonder how long it would be before something happened when he heard a long, loud sigh beside him and had to hide a smile as he glanced sideways.

Next to him stood Kyla, a – currently – very bored looking asari. She was short – even considering how tall he was – and though she also had her hands clasped behind her back, her shoulders were slumped and she was rocking casually back and forth on the balls of her feet, blowing the air out from her cheeks as they waited.

"What the hell is taking so long?" she demanded after a moment, "Are they waiting for us to do a dance or something? Or is it some kind of endurance test to see which one of us dies from boredom first?"

"Patience, kid," Barbet said calmly, moving his mouth as little as possible as Grunt's eyes passed over him.

"Kid?" Kyla scoffed, apparently not as concerned about being caught talking, "I've got five hundred years on you, old man."

Though true, this was sometimes easy to forget. He and Kyla had been working together on the project for several years now and despite being over five centuries old, Kyla often had the temperament of an adolescent.

She was stocky for an asari but packed with muscle and still quick enough to be able to runs rings around most of her opponents. Like many asari she had sharp, defined features and a hard brow that made her seem as though she were always scowling. Her skin was a deep, sapphire blue and her face was totally void of any facial markings but her dark, plum coloured eyes were enough to make her seem striking despite that.

"I swear Aria's eyeing me up," she muttered absently, Barbet turned to see she was giving the other asari a disdainful glare, "That's the fourth time she's looked at me, and it's not my face she's interested in."

"She's probably trying to work out how fit you are," Barbet said, then sighed inwardly as he realised exactly how Kyla would interpret that. He heard her snort.

"I bet she is."

Barbet supressed a smile. Most asari of Kyla's age – born long before the reapers or the war – were graceful and demure, patient and calm. Kyla was all hard edges and brash comments and if she did take the time to think before she spoke it was only to consider how outrageous or inappropriate she could be.

"I know this may be hard for you to accept," he told her softly, "but not everyone who meets you wants to get you into bed with them."

"You sure about that?" Aria's eyes lingered on her again and this time Kyla responded with a tight and obviously exaggerated smile before she raised her hand and waggled her fingers in a mocking wave.

Barbet felt every muscle in his body tense as Aria froze, then tilted her head and narrowed her cold, lilac eyes until they became as sharp as knives and Barbet felt a chill run through him. For a moment he thought she was going to come over and Kyla would end up in hot water – not for the first time – but then she merely smiled to herself and turned away to point out another of the line to Grunt.

Barbet exhaled softly as Kyla merely smirked, apparently completely unconcerned that one of the most dangerous woman in the galaxy may have just singled her out.

"Bitch," she muttered, loudly enough to make Barbet uncomfortable but Aria didn't seem to have heard, "I wouldn't let her touch me if she was the last asari alive."

"Just watch it, kid," Barbet warned her, "she's not someone you want to be picking a fight with."

"She doesn't scare me."

"Well maybe she should. She is _Aria T'Loak_ after all."

"Ha!" Kyla scoffed, "You think being Queen of Omega made her tough? While she was lounging on that sofa with half-dressed lap-dancers draped all over her and personal bodyguards to pour her wine, some of us were out on the streets where the real action happened."

Barbet said nothing. From the little that he had managed to learn of Kyla's past – mostly through throw away comments like that one – he gathered that she had lived a twisted and complicated life, mixing mostly with mercs and criminals. Many of the other asari in the line had been commandoes before the war but they fought with a level of discipline that Kyla certainly didn't have and he had a feeling most of her skills were self-taught.

The doors to the hall opened and the bored line of soldiers suddenly all seemed to straighten up a little, as though they were anticipating the arrival of someone interesting. There were several sharp intakes of breath when Shepard walked in with Liara following close behind.

Even Barbet felt his heart quicken at the sight of them and was briefly amused at himself, it seemed stupid for an old veteran like him to get star-struck over a pair of war heroes. Still, there was something breathtaking about seeing them for real, rather than just as pictures in a history book.

He had spotted Shepard once or twice around the headquarters already but only ever from a distance. She had looked ill back then and exhausted, but now there was a quick determination in her stride and her eyes were bright as they darted along the line before she came to stand beside Aria and Grunt and joined their conversation.

Her hair was shorter than before, he noted and hung a little way past her shoulders in loose, vibrant red waves. It still seemed impractically long, making him wonder why she had bothered cutting it at all.

He had seen Liara only once before today, during the coup when she had briefly aided his squad before disappearing before he could thank her. Now she was standing quietly, watching the soldiers with interest as she let Shepard and the others talk.

Beside Barbet there was a low whistle, "Didn't realise our celebrity sponsors were going to be joining us," Kyla muttered sarcastically but as he glanced at her he saw she was looking genuinely pleased, though her smirk suggested she was plotting something.

"Makes sense," Barbet shrugged, "rumour has it that Tevos has given her command of the Janiri."

Kyla's head snapped round, her cocky smile wiped away by an unusually serious frown, "You're kidding? You mean… we could end up on her crew?"

Barbet smiled, amused by the idea that Kyla might actually care about getting the chance to work with a legend, "You'd have to impress her first."

For a moment she looked thoughtful, then she blinked and became her usual blasé self again, snorting dismissively, "Shouldn't be difficult, not like I've got much competition, eh?"

…

Jules played with a loose lock of her hair, enjoying that it was light enough to settle into natural waves again. When Liara had seen it, Jules had watched her supress a triumphant smile, as she always did when she got her own way. Luckily Jules liked seeing Liara get her own way.

She scrutinised the line of soldiers standing before her, a line that she would have to pick a squad from. Most of them were asari, except for two turians and a batarian, which she found interesting. She hadn't seen many batarians since returning to Earth and she was sure there weren't a lot of them in the Traverse.

If the asari had thought _they_ had things bad after the war, it was nothing compared to what the batarians had suffered. Their home world had been the first to fall to the reapers, couple that with the destruction of the Bahak System and their population had decreased rapidly. Most of the surviving refugees had fled to the Citadel, and then been killed when the reapers had taken it.

The few batarians who had survived the war had mostly been mercenaries in the Terminus and for a while they had seriously faced the prospect of extinction. Unlike the asari they _had_ reclaimed their home world but not successfully, instead they had split into several factions who had fought bitter wars over the most arable land and eventually wiped each other out. It was fair to say they still had nowhere to call home.

But this one didn't look like a mercenary or a criminal. He was lean and lanky, with legs that almost looked too long for him and his face was a tapestry of scars, one of which cut through his lower left eye, leaving him with only three. From his stance, Jules guessed he was a soldier.

Beside him a short, striking asari was muttering something to him as a sly smirk graced her lips. Jules didn't recognise her but she did briefly remind her of someone. She couldn't place who.

But out of all of them, it was Egret who drew most of her attention. The young asari was standing silently in line, her eyes staring straight ahead. When they had first met on board the Armali, Jules hadn't really questioned what Egret's role on the project was, though she supposed that she had assumed it would be behind a desk analysing data or something. After seeing her in action in the warehouse, she wasn't surprised to see her lined up as a potential squad member but she did find it odd. She was, after all, very young for an asari but she had clearly had a lot of training from someone.

"So," Aria's soft voice broke her thoughts, "since you're here, I take it that you've accepted command of the Janiri? Good."

Jules looked at her in surprise, "Good?"

"Mm," she nodded "I was worried Tevos might bring someone new in to replace Adarna, like a new investor. She doesn't like relying on Urdnot Wrex for funding, she knows he's only doing it for you. If you told him to stop giving her money he would. I didn't think she'd want to risk giving you any more power. I'm glad I was wrong."

"Have you spoken to Wrex again since he agreed to help?" Grunt asked, on the surface he sounded as casual as he always did but there was a hint of hopefulness in his voice that Jules felt sorry to crush.

"No," she replied, since that first call Wrex had apparently become very busy and all her subsequent contact with Tuchanka had been done through Bakara. She couldn't help but wonder if this was punishment for her leaving for so long, though that didn't really seem like Wrex's style.

"Did he ask about me, when you spoke to him?" Grunt asked.

Jules winced, "No."

"Hmph," the krogan sighed, "still hasn't forgiven me for leaving then."

"I don't think you're the problem, Grunt," Jules consoled him with an apologetic smile, "he's stressing over his kids."

"Ah," Grunt nodded sagely, "is it Mordin?"

"How did you know?"

"It's always Mordin."

Jules smiled. Bakara had been as tight-lipped as Wrex when talking about their eldest son, but Jules had been able to tell that he had done _something_ to upset his father. It didn't surprise her, Mordin had always been opinionated. She just hoped the young krogan knew what he was doing.

"So what do you think, Shepard?" Aria asked, bringing Jules' attention back to the line of soldiers she was supposed to be looking at. She recognised the bored, restless expressions of people forced to stand still for too long smiled guiltily to herself as she counted them.

"Twenty," she stated, "split between us and Tevos that makes five each?"

"Not necessarily," Grunt said, "your squad can have as many or as few members as you want, and they might not all get chosen. There might be some of them that none of us want on our crew," he said the last bit loud enough for them to hear him and then chuckled softly as he looked over to see their reaction. Most of them didn't flicker, except for a particularly nervous looking turian at the end of the line who glanced at Grunt feverishly before quickly averting his gaze.

"What have they gone through to get to this point?" Liara asked, "How much training have they had?"

"Well," Aria shrugged, "there were over a thousand applicants in the beginning, that should give you some idea."

"They've spent over three years training for this," Grunt agreed, "they're the best."

Aria snorted, "I don't know about that, but they're the best that we could get our hands on. This isn't exactly the dream assignment for a professional fighter. The people who applied were either bored, desperate or just really wanted to see home again," which explained why most of them were asari, Jules reasoned, "A lot of them used to be commandoes though, so that's something."

"Commandoes?" Jules found herself grinning as she turned towards Liara, "I've always wanted a squad of asari commandoes."

"They're not a litter of puppies, Shepard," Aria muttered with a roll of her eyes, making Jules chuckle.

"Alright," she nodded, "let's see them in action, there's no better way to get to know a squad than to go a few rounds against them."

"Really?" Aria asked with mock surprise, "Are you sure you're ready for that? Let's face it, you're not exactly at you best these days."

Jules folded her arms and responded with a sarcastic smile.

"Just get them ready."

…

Liara had been given strict instructions by Rhys not to exert herself while her wounds were still healing, which forced her to sit out of the training. She couldn't pretend to be too disappointed, sparring sessions weren't really her thing anyway.

So, as Jules and the others moved away, she settled herself on a bench and watched. The hall was big enough for them to set up three make-shift rings; one for Jules, one for Aria and one for Grunt. Then they set about choosing who they wanted to put through their paces; Aria was the quickest to decide, singling out the nervous-looking turian and earning a disapproving look from Jules as she grabbed the terrified boy by the shoulder and dragged him across the room.

Grunt picked out one of the asari while Jules chose the batarian, who Liara recognised as the man she had seen during the coup when she had helped his squad in the corridor.

The rest of the soldiers moved to the side, many of them were whispering and nudging each other and a few of them kept throwing glances in Liara's direction, which she ignored. As the fighting began, her eyes were on Jules.

She wasn't worried… not exactly. But she did know that Jules was out of practice, and the batarian looked like a veteran. But it quickly became apparent that Jules was enjoying herself as she dodged two blows then aimed one and missed. They danced around each other for several minutes, talking breathlessly between blows and though Liara couldn't hear what they were saying, she did notice a lot of laughter.

Her attention was drawn from them suddenly by a biotic explosion which shook the room slightly and sent ripples of biotic energy through the air, prickling lightly against Liara's skin. She looked over to see Aria was on the floor and – surprisingly – it was the young turian who was lit up with blue-white energy.

"HA!" Aria yelled in delight as she jumped swiftly back to her feet, "That's more like it! Let's see what else you've got kid!" the turian – still looking nervous – glanced feverishly about the room as he realised he now had everyone's eyes on him. Liara watched curiously as he strengthened his barrier and prepared to launch another attack.

She wondered vaguely how a turian became a biotic these days, if there really was an eezo shortage it must have been rarer for people to be accidently exposed to it and it seemed unlikely anyone would be deliberately manufacturing biotics. Though she supposed anything was possible.

He ultimately lost his fight. But as Aria hauled him back to his feet she had a sly smile on her face and said something about there being hope for him yet.

Jules defeated the batarian – more through cunning than strength – and one of the younger asari – who had seemed so in awe of her she honestly hadn't put up much of a fight.

"Egret!" she shouted next, looking over at the young asari who had yet to fight anyone, "Let's see what you've got!"

She practically jumped off the bench she had been sitting on and sprinted over to join her. Jules was grinning as Egret reached her, which was something Liara hadn't seen much of lately. The match started off slow, with Egret seeming unwilling to put up much of a fight, whether that was because of nerves or fear of actually hurting Shepard, Liara couldn't tell.

Jules had always had a talent for putting people at ease, however, and before long the pair of them were clearly having fun. Egret's biotics were powerful but raw, she had obviously had some training but her skills were still unrefined. She let her barrier weaken whenever she launched an attack and got easily flustered if Jules got too close to her, preferring to fight at long range.

These were flaws Jules could easily exploit and Egret was soon defeated too, though Liara noted that Jules had drawn the fight out far longer than needed as she assessed Egret's skills as much as possible.

"Three down, Shepard," Aria called from across the room as Egret jogged back to the bench, "I still say you won't make it past five!"

Jules proved her wrong as she defeated another two asari and then took on the other turian. He wasn't a biotic like the younger one but he managed to put up more of a fight than any of them so far. His movements were so fast and agile Jules could barely keep up but, like Egret, he lacked finesse and eventually a few clumsy mistakes were all it took for Jules to gain the upper hand.

In her seventh opponent, however, Jules finally met her match. She was one of the older asari in the group and from the look of her Liara guessed she was well into her matriarch years. There was a calm and meticulous method to her fighting that spoke of commando training and centuries of experience and though Jules put up a good fight she eventually had to admit defeat after being thrown to the floor for the eighth time.

She came back over to Liara, gingerly massaging one of her shoulders but grinning all the same, "Enjoying the show?" she asked as she sat down next to her, breathing heavily and wiping the sweat from her brow. Liara noticed more than a few bruises forming on her arms and around her shoulders but she recognised the same exhilaration in her eyes that Jules used to get after a mission. She looked alert and seemed unable to sit still as she tapped her feet impatiently.

"They're certainly an eclectic group of fighters," Liara observed, turning back to the room. From what she had seen so far there was everything from fully trained soldiers to people who may well have been street fighters.

"You mean they're a bunch of misfits?" Jules said with a smile.

"Like every other squad you've ever had," Liara agreed.

Jules made a quiet laugh, "Have you spoken to any of them?" Liara shook her head, knowing the look she was going to get before Jules even made it, "I know you don't really like making friends," she started, "but we are going to be sharing a ship with some of them soon."

"You know me," she shrugged, "I'll probably be too wrapped up in my work for socialising," Jules smiled in a way that meant she wanted to press the issue but she didn't, instead leaning in to press a quick kiss to Liara's temple before standing.

"I'd better get back, Aria's looking for any excuse to claim I'm past it."

As she moved away towards the rest of the group, she proved her own point as a voice called out to her across the room.

"Gave up easily didn't you?" Aria was smirking as she sauntered lazily across the room. As she said it, she nodded at the asari who had finally defeated Jules.

Jules just shook her head, "There's no shame in losing to an asari commando who was fighting in wars before humanity even made it to the moon."

"For most people maybe," Aria shrugged, "you're the woman who's taken on reapers and won."

"True," Jules allowed, "I suppose I could always call up the Mother of All Thresher Maws and ask her to give me a hand again. Or rebuild the Normandy and arrange an orbital strike; that would probably have beaten her."

Liara smiled a little as Aria rolled her eyes and wandered away, "I don't remember you being such a defeatist," she called over her shoulder, "and I'm expecting to see a rematch, people are already taking bets."

As the day went on, Jules won another ten matches and lost three and after she, Aria and Grunt had tested everyone, they started pitting the fighters against each other instead. A lot of the younger ones wanted Jules' advice and she spent most of the afternoon with them eagerly huddled around her, hearing her tips, tactics and stories – many of them probably unrelated to fighting.

Jules made a good show of resenting her fame but in this case Liara could tell she was enjoying the attention. Within the Alliance she had been a role model and on both Normandys Liara had seen her taking people under her wing like this, building their confidence and boosting their skills but going about it so subtly they often didn't realise she was doing it.

She had done it with Liara too, during the first few months they had known each other she had brought out sides of her that she herself hadn't discovered in a hundred years. It was part of what had made Jules such a natural leader, that ability to see something in someone and nurture it. It had been so long since she had seen this side of Jules that Liara had almost forgotten it existed.

"She looks more like her old self, doesn't she?" Grunt said at one point as he walked over to join her. He was watching Jules as she was explaining something that involved a lot of hand gestures and had her audience enraptured.

"She'll never be her old self again," Liara said softly, "but at least she looks happy."

…

Over the next few weeks, there were many days like that first one. Some days they fought one-on-one again, other times they split into teams and competed against each other or spent time teaching each other their own skills.

Liara's wounds healed and she was able to join in and soon a dynamic was forming within the group. Aria, Grunt and Jules were already singling out their favourites; Aria had taken particular interest in Colt, the biotic turian, and although he barely said a word the others soon learned he was a formidable opponent.

Grunt, Barbet and Jonan – the other turian – were the only non-biotics there and they were often found training together, trading and developing techniques to combat biotic opponents. Among the asari, there was a good mix of personalities and skills.

Three of them were matriarchs and all were formidable in their own ways. Maia – the one who had beaten Jules – was the picture of calm and elegance who took her time with everything, even during her fights. There was such an air of tranquillity about her that it was almost relaxing being defeated by her.

In contrast, Isla was stern and fierce and so intimidating that even Jules gave her a wide birth while Erecleia was bubbly and cheerful in a way that made everyone feel comfortable around her. She seemed to fit better with the younger asari and was often found in a huddle of them, usually catching up on the gossip and frequently attempting to match-make people.

The one thing all three of them shared was a frightening amount of skill and experience and the whole group was coming to benefit from it.

Of the others, Kyla was the most outspoken, often to the point where she offended people but she was fun-loving and playful and always seemed to get away with it. Rhea was a hothead but her heart was in the right place, Shaelen was grim and moody in a way that was actually endearing and Lesha was quiet but popular due to the fact that when she did speak it was usually to make a joke or observation that immediately had everyone in stitches.

Egret and the others were all much younger, too young to have been around during the war and they were always eager to hear stories from those who had lived through it. Friendships began to form, as did rivalries and Jules soon realised that picking out a single team was going to be difficult.

Strangely, Tevos barely showed her face at their training sessions and when she was there she would only linger in the far corner for a while and then slip away again before anyone could talk to her. How she was expecting to be able to pick her own squad when she hadn't worked with them Jules couldn't imagine, although knowing Tevos she probably wasn't planning on actually going on any of the ground missions herself.

Alongside the training sessions, Jules went running daily to try and get her fitness levels back up. She could have done this indoors on a treadmill but she preferred getting outside and seeing the city, even if it did mean she had to ignore the many reporters and curious members of the public who insisted on watching her, sometimes shouting questions, complements or insults as she went by. More than once she had come up against groups of the conspiracy theorists who would scream about how she should be ashamed of the lies she was telling about the war.

The first time she had gone out running, she came back barely able to stand upright and so out of breath she could hardly speak. Of course it also had to be the morning when Aria was taking a stroll through the reception area at the exact moment that Jules burst through the doors, instantly doubled over and began gasping in air so desperately that she drew looks of alarm from the receptionists.

"Well, well," she heard the asari's cocky voice before she looked up to see Aria smirking at her, "look at you, I didn't know humans could go such a bright shade of red."

"Very funny," Jules gasped before staggering over to lean against the reception desk, gulping in lungfuls of oxygen. Sweat itched between her skin and her clothes, making every movement uncomfortable and she already longed to feel the fresher, cooler air from outside again.

"Jules," Liara, who had been waiting for her, wandered up beside them, looking suspiciously at Aria for a moment, "are you alright?"

"Never better," Jules agreed with a dismissive wave of her hand, "nothing like an early morning run to get you ready for the day."  
"And how far did you go?" asked Aria, clearly amused.

"Oh, you know," Jules shrugged, she kept her eyes fixed on the ceiling as she tried to steady her breathing, "only about twenty k, thought I'd start off light."

There wasn't a hope in hell that Aria would believe her but obviously lying was actually less embarrassing than admitting the truth.

As Aria chuckled and sauntered away, Liara moved closer, "And how far did you really go?" she asked quietly.

"Five k," Jules whimpered, holding up five digits on one hand to reiterate just in case her voice gave out on her, "seriously, Liara," she hooked an arm around Liara's neck and leaned heavily against her as they staggered towards the elevators, "never let me get this out of shape again. It's embarrassing."

The embarrassment didn't last long, however. As weeks turned into months, five kilometres turned into twenty and training sessions became more intense and yet less exhausting. Four months in, the kids who had been running Jules ragged were now struggling to keep up with her and the odds that Aria was offering against her had shifted dramatically.

…

"It's the implants, right?" Kyla demanded from no one in particular one afternoon as she staggered into the locker room after two exhausting hours of training with Shepard and some of the others, breathless and aching, "I swear, no normal person can get back in shape that quickly. It was only four months ago she was walking around looking like a half-starved zombie!"

It was only after that comment – as she collapsed down onto one of the benches – that she noticed one of the three people in the room was Liara, who was calmly closing her locker before turning to face her, an expectant look on her face. Kyla grimaced.

"Er… sorry babe, no offence to your missus."

"None taken," Liara replied, a small hint of a smile twitched at the corner of her mouth, making Kyla think she was going to get an actual reaction out of her for once. But then she broadened her shoulders, placed her hands behind her back and walked out of the door without another word. Kyla watched her go and shook her head.

"Stuck up bitch."

"Kyla!" she looked back to see Egret staring at her incredulously, behind her Maia was carefully folding away several items of clothing and appeared not to be listening but a subtle smile on her lips told Kyla otherwise. Then again Maia always seemed to be smiling smugly, like she knew something no one else did. Matriarchs were like that.

Kyla ignored her and instead gave Egret a shrug.

"What?"

Egret's exasperated frown suggested she hadn't thought she would have to explain herself, which amused Kyla a little as she watched her trying to come up with a suitable response, "She's Liara T'Soni!" she eventually exclaimed, gesturing wildly to the door Liara had left through.

"Yeah," Kyla agreed, "you'd think being a famous hero would give her a reason to smile now and then, the miserable…" she trailed off as she saw Egret's face harden, "woman," she finished, with a roll of her eyes.

One of things she'd learned over these past few months was that Egret was one of the easiest people to wind up, which also meant she was one of Kyla's favourite people as cheap entertainment was never far away when she was in the room.

The one thing that _was_ annoying about the kid though was this stupid hero worship she seemed to have towards her precious Liara. A lot of the other youngsters felt the same, Liara was a legend and all that, but even the older asari seemed to have a kind of respect for her that Kyla just couldn't understand.

Oh she had tried to be nice, attempted to strike up a conversation more than once but the most she had ever managed to get from Liara in return was a slightly superior smile and a few curt words before she calmly excused herself. Evidently she was too good to talk to a lowly grunt like Kyla.

She didn't know what else she had expected from Matriarch Benezia's daughter. A privileged upbringing and an expensive education were always going to breed a snob.

"I wonder what Shepard would do if she heard you talking about Liara like that," Egret challenged, folding her arms in a way she probably thought was threatening – in reality it just made Kyla snort to supress a laugh.

"Hey, Shep knows how to have a laugh. She's more fun than I thought she'd be actually, makes me wonder why she's stayed with that hard-faced misery for so long. I suppose the sex must be good."

"Oh you are unbelievable," Egret turned away in disgust, though not quickly enough to hide the blush that had rushed to her cheeks, making Kyla chuckle. Egret was so easily flustered.

"If you actually took the time to talk to Liara, you'd find she's quite interesting," Maia spoke up gently, without looking up from her locker. Kyla threw her a sceptical look.

"How the hell am I meant to do that? She never says more than two words to me."

"Then perhaps you should take a more delicate approach with her," the matriarch suggested, "I could say the same for your fighting style."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

That smug smile danced across her lips again, making Kyla scowl, "The reason Shepard's training sessions are wearing you out so easily is because you rush through every move you make. If you took the time to consider and strategize when you're fighting you would be able to conserve more energy."

Kyla sighed loudly, "If we all took our time as much as you, babe, no one would ever get anything done!" she snapped, eyeing the clothes Maia had been folding for the past ten minutes – and still wasn't finished with, "I may not be as ancient as you, but I've been around long enough to know what works for me. So as much as I appreciate the advice, don't waste your breath."

Maia smiled and nodded, "As you wish," with that, she took her neatly folded clothes, gave Egret a nod and left. It was a moment later that Kyla noticed Egret was staring at her with a strange mixture of suspicion and awe.

"What?" Kyla shrugged.

"How can you get away with talking to people like that?" she asked, shaking her head slightly. It took a moment before Kyla realised it had been a serious question.

She felt a brief wave of sympathy for the kid as she remembered what it was like to be that young and still unsure of yourself. Here she was surrounded by matriarchs and legends who she thought she had to live up to. She hadn't realised yet that they were all just as fickle and flawed as she was.

"Look," she said, leaning forwards, "just because she's a thousand years old, it does not mean she has all the answers."

"Doesn't mean you have to be rude to her, either."

Kyla hid a grin as she stood, moved to her locker and started stripping out of her training kit, "Being rude to people is the best way to get an honest reaction from them. Being polite usually means you're lying, hiding your true feelings. Being polite is what you do to strangers, and people you don't like but can't be bothered arguing with. You can't get to know someone – really get to know them – by being polite."

"You could just try being nice," Egret suggested.

"I prefer being honest," Kyla said, she dragged her sweat-soaked top off over her head and let the coolness of the air touch her skin for a moment before she grabbed a clean one and pulled it on, "besides, after a few hundred years, nice gets boring."

Egret shrugged casually, "Maia's nice."

"Ha!" Kyla exclaimed, grabbing a jacket from the locker, "Maia must be over a thousand years old! After living that long matriarchs forget how to be interesting."

Egret made a noise and Kyla looked up to see she looked amused, "What are you smirking at?"

"Nothing," she shook her head, "just trying to imagine you when you're her age. Do you think you'll be nice and boring?"

Kyla paused for a moment – one arm hooked inside the sleeve of her jacket – and looked at Egret thoughtfully. Then she snapped out of it and pulled the jacket on fully, flicking the collar up around her neck, "Nah, I'll never live to be that ancient. If you make it past a millennium without dying of alcohol poisoning or in some stupid accident then you haven't been living properly. Maybe that's why all matriarchs are so dull, they're the ones who've never done anything exciting enough to get them killed."

"Hoping to go out in a blaze of glory, are you?"

"To be honest, I always thought I'd get stabbed in a bar brawl or something," she admitted grimly, then she shut her locker and sighed, "provided one of Shepard's training sessions doesn't finish me off first."

* * *

 _ **Sorry I made you wait so long for this one but I wrote and scrapped four different versions of it before I found one that worked. The next chapter is more or less finished though so it should be up in a day or two.**_


	15. Back In Action

_Chapter Fifteen – Back In Action_

Jules leaned back against the rough rock of the cliff face she was crouched behind and took a second to catch her breath. Her hair was dragged back from her face in a tight plait but several strands had come loose and were sticking to the sweat that was beading across her forehead.

As she breathed out steadily, she brushed them aside with her sleeve and took what relief she could from the cool, damp rock she was pressed against, though it did little to alleviate the humidity in the air. Beside her, Liara's breathing was calm and measured and there was no outward sign that she was suffering from the heat or from anything else for that matter.

She was dressed in light combat gear which pressed neatly against the contours of her body as she crouched low to the ground, perfectly still with a pistol ready in her hands. Jules glanced at her grimly as she wiped the sweat from around her eyes and shifted uncomfortably to relieve the cramp that was forming in her legs.

Of the two of them, Liara was definitely coming across as the more professional right now. She always did have to look perfect.

Luckily, Jules wasn't the only one present who appeared dishevelled and flustered. Kyla was crouched nearby, scowling as she brushed dirt from her face – and only succeeded in smearing more of it across her cheek. Jonan was beside her and there was a gash across his arm, smeared with a mixture of blue blood and medi-gel though he was ignoring it as his sharp turian eyes scanned all around for movement.

Lesha and Rhea were also crouched silently side-by-side and were covered in a mixture of dirt, sweat and bruises while Maia was a short distance away from the rest of them, crouched atop a rock with a sniper rifle ready in her hands.

Together, they made up Jules' temporary squad.

They were several miles outside the city, in a network of rocky canyons that would once have been a quarry. That would have been centuries ago though, at some point after that it had been turned into a garden; the high cliffs formed narrow corridors that saw little sunlight, making the air damp and muggy. There were numerous ponds and pools dotted around it that would once have been water features and ferns and water plants swamped the place, making a sort of mini jungle hidden away at the bottom of the canyons.

It briefly occurred to Jules that turning a quarry into an exotic garden had been a stroke of genius by someone, but at some point – presumably when the Reaper War broke out – the garden had been abandoned and now the plants grew wild and it had likely lost its original beauty. It did, however, make a good training ground.

Jules and her squad were currently concealed in a cramped trench overgrown with ferns. It wasn't comfortable but it kept them hidden from anyone who might pass by. Somewhere in the quarry, Aria and Grunt's squads were also on the loose and they each had the same goal: to destroy the other two teams and reach the centre of the quarry where an old statue of Icarus stood, barely visible among a mass of overgrown foliage.

They'd had several of these training sessions so far, each time she, Aria and Grunt would pick different teams to see who worked best together. So far Aria had won twice and Grunt once, leaving Jules with no wins and the most to prove.

"She's coming," Maia's low voice muttered softly, breaking their otherwise silent surroundings. Sound was strange down here, the high, enclosed cliffs created an echo but it was muffled by the thick undergrowth, making it seem like they were completely removed from the world above.

Jules glanced at the matriarch, whose gaze was fixed on something over the top of the trench. As they waited, Jules heard the soft thud of running footsteps and the rustle of leaves as someone ploughed through them. As the footsteps got closer, Jules could hear heavy breathing then a few loose stones were kicked over the edge of the trench and were rapidly followed by Egret who slid the short distance down the side and landed in a crouch next to her.

A sheen of sweat covered the asari's face as she gasped a few lungfuls of air and leaned back against the rock face.

"Did anyone see you?" Jules asked.

Egret shook her head and took a moment to recover her voice before she added: "I don't think so."

"What have you learned?" Liara asked smoothly, as though she were completely oblivious to the fact that Egret was gulping in air like it was going out of fashion. Jules couldn't help but smile at the brief, incredulous frown that creased Egret's brow before she steadied her breathing and replied.

"Grunt's squad are already at the statue."

"Seriously?" Kyla exclaimed, a flash of frustration passing through her dark eyes. Jules knew she had yet to be on a winning team.

"Getting there is the easy part," Jules told her with a grin, "now he has to hold it against the rest of us."

The central part of the quarry wasn't easy to defend, there were five canyons leading to it and Grunt only had six people in his squad. It was also large and open, once they broke out into it they'd be on an even footing. Still, Grunt wasn't stupid, he wouldn't have taken the centre this early if he didn't have a plan.

She turned back to Egret, "how is he defending it?"

The asari grimaced in a 'you're not going to like this' sort of way, which only made Jules smile as she knew she was probably in for a challenge.

"He's ordered Isla up onto one of the ridges overlooking the quarry, she has a clear view of every way in. She'll be able to warn him of where we're approaching from."

"He gave Isla an order?" Rhea whistled softly, "Rather him than me, she's fucking terrifying," a few slick grins and knowing looks were exchanged as the squad nodded in agreement. Even compared to most thousand-year-old asari commandoes, Isla was pretty intimidating.

"She's also a very good marksman," Egret said, shaking her head as though they had already lost.

"But Maia's better," Jules muttered, almost to herself. She was gazing at the matriarch thoughtfully and Maia gazed back with an amused but curious smile. Over the past few months Jules had learned that Maia was useful in all sorts of situations but mainly, she was the best sniper Jules had ever worked with – even if it seemed a bit disloyal to Garrus to admit it.

"Where are Aria's squad?" she asked, turning her attention back to Egret.

"I haven't seen them," she replied, "but I heard Grunt's scouts talking, they think she's on the northern side."

"And we're on the south," Liara muttered, "so he's trapped in between us."

"Aria may split her squad into two teams to attack Grunt from two sides," Maia suggested, "that has been her tactic in the past."

"Mm," Jules made a face, "but she's not known for being predictable. It's best we don't assume anything when it comes to Aria. But if she's on the northern side that will keep her out of our way for a while."

"We should start moving," Liara said quietly, "we don't want her to reach the centre before we do."

They slipped out of the trench and Jules led the way cautiously through the quarry. The overgrown plants made it difficult to move quietly but it did provide good cover to keep them hidden from view.

Previously when Jules had thought of quarries she had envisioned circular, open canyons but this one was like a maze with thin corridors branching off and intersecting before opening out into wider sections, all walled in by high cliffs. Still, she was getting to know the terrain quite well by now and she mapped their way to the centre with relative ease.

As she moved she could feel the sweat prickling between her skin and her clothes and she grimaced slightly. She had never liked the heat. Asari were more tolerant to it than humans – probably had something to do with not being covered in hair – but even by human standards, Jules preferred a colder climate.

Mindoir had never been warm. The coastline Jules had grown up on had been stormy with constant gale-force winds battering the colony and if they ever went more than four days without rain they had officially declared it a dry spell.

There had been a stretch of moorland along the cliffs that she had often walked along, out in the open with no protection from the elements; the wind had been so strong up there it was sometimes hard to breathe if you faced into it and the cold cut through your clothes no matter how many layers you were wearing. The memories made her smile as she wiped another sheen off her forehead and swiped away an insect that threatened to land on her.

They came to a point where two of the canyons intersected and Jules fell back against the cliff face to peer cautiously around the corner. They were trampling through waist-high fern leaves and as Jules ducked down slightly she became almost hidden by them. Bugs and insects chattered all around her, making her skin crawl as she swept back another few loose strands of hair.

"Wait," Egret hissed behind her and she felt the asari grab her arm, "from here on Isla will have a clear view of us."

"Where is she?" Jules muttered quietly.

Egret leaned around her, her purple eyes searching the clifftops. After a moment she pointed at something, "See that ridge?"

Jules peered out of cover to follow where she was pointing. One of the cliffs overlooking the quarry was significantly higher than the others, a few metres from the top she could see a short, wide ridge jutting out. She couldn't see Isla but it would have been easy for her to conceal herself there.

Jules sighed, Egret was right, there wouldn't be much chance of her not seeing them.

"Maia," she hissed over her shoulder and there was a rustle of movement as Maia moved up the line to appear at Jules' shoulder. Jules pointed out the ridge to her, "do you think you can get up there without Isla noticing you?"

The matriarch paused for a while, her calm eyes scanning the cliff for potential routes to the ridge. Jules could see several ways to get there for an experienced climber, getting there without being seen was another matter.

"I can do it," she declared at last.

"Can you do it before the end of next week?" Kyla muttered dryly, she had been fidgeting impatiently as they waited for Maia's answer, as she always seemed to whenever she had to stay still for more than thirty seconds. The group ignored her.

"Contact me as soon as you've dealt with Isla," Jules told her, "don't start shooting until we attack, Grunt will probably think it's Isla at first, might take him a few seconds to realise it's his people you're aiming at."

Maia nodded and made to move away.

"Hey," Kyla hissed, making the matriarch pause and look at her, "do me a favour? If you see one of Grunt's squad about to kill me, maybe don't wait five-and-a-half years before you decide to shoot them, okay?"

Maia smiled softly, "Don't worry, you'll be perfectly safe with me watching you, I assure you."

…

They stayed low as they moved steadily through the undergrowth, sticking close to the rock face.

"Do you think Isla can see us?" Rhea asked in a whisper, like she thought the sniper might hear her too.

"Probably," Jules muttered, giving the ridge a cursory glance, "I doubt she's got a clear shot on us though and she won't want to give her position away until she has to."

"If she's watching _us_ , there's less chance of her spotting Maia," Liara said softly, she was directly behind Jules as they moved in single file and the close, familiar sound of her breathing was strangely comforting. It reminded Jules of a hundred missions like this, creeping through an enemy base or a hostile world.

"Has anyone seen her yet?" Jonan asked from further down the line and Jules glanced back to see the turian scanning the cliff face for any sign of Maia climbing it. They all paused and watched for a second but there was no sign of movement. After a while, Kyla snorted.

"She's probably still standing at the bottom thinking about it. Maybe someone should remind her that poor Jonan here doesn't have a few spare centuries to wait for her like the rest of us do," there was a wicked edge to her smile as she threw Jonan a wink; the turian merely glared.

"She'll be ready when we need her," Jules assured them, "let's keep moving."

She carefully pushed through the thick fern leaves in front of her, trying to keep the noise to a minimum. The gentle hum of insects and the rustle of plant life were the only sounds as they crept through the canyon. As they rounded a rock face, the centre of the quarry came into view and Jules signalled to the others to stop.

They crouched in the leaves to stay out of sight, though it made the air seem even closer and muggier and Jules found herself itching for a cool breeze. She ignored the discomfort and peered cautiously through the foliage.

She could see three asari watching the canyon they were approaching through, past them Grunt was pacing around the statue of Icarus, whose wings could just be seen poking out from the leaves that were engulfing him. Grunt looked restless, impatient, spoiling for a fight and Jules smiled, she had seen him like that plenty of times before. He may have been older now and not as juvenile but he was still Grunt and the waiting was pissing him off.

"He looks angry," Egret whispered and Jules looked back to see she was also peering out from the undergrowth, watching her bondmate carefully. There was a hint of reluctance in her frown, she didn't want to have to fight him. Jules had been interested to see how she would react when she had to go up against him, it was part of the reason she had picked her.

"Grunt doesn't think straight when he's angry," Jules muttered with a smile.

"From what I recall, he becomes even more formidable," Liara reminded her with a frown.

"Yeah, but holding that position is going to take more than brute strength and rage. It's far too open, too many routes to it that he needs to cover. It's easier to attack than it is to defend."

" _Shepard,"_ Jules' omni-tool bleeped and Maia's voice came across the comm.

"Go ahead," Jules replied quietly.

" _I'm at the ridge, Isla's unconscious."_

The group exchanged looks, none of them had seen or heard anything on the cliff face to suggest that Maia had even managed to climb it.

"Good work," Jules told her.

" _She's been giving Grunt updates on your movements, he knows you're out there."_

"Understood, any sign of Aria?"

" _Yes. Her squad is in the canyon opposite you, she's been there for about ten minutes I don't know what she's waiting for."_

"Us, maybe?" Jules suggested, "We'll take Grunt down more easily if we attack at the same time."

" _You shouldn't delay too long,"_ Maia told her, _"you'll want to attack before Grunt tries to contact Isla again."_

"She's telling _us_ to get a move on?" Jules heard Kyla snigger, "You've got to admire her sense of irony."

Jules snatched her shotgun from its holster, prompting the rest of the squad to also ready their weapons. They were using stun rounds, which were incapable of physically injuring anyone but they did send a nasty shock through the nervous system that would knock most people unconscious for a few hours. The after effects, however, were so unpleasant that people were still _very_ motivated not to get shot with them.

She loaded the weapon then turned to nod at the others, "Let's do it."

She and Liara moved up first, shoulder-to-shoulder as they darted through the undergrowth; Kyla and Jonan split off from the group and mirrored their position on the other side. Kyla may have been an asari but she wasn't a strong biotic and she was much better at conventional fighting, for that reason Jules liked to keep her near the front. Also it was easier to keep an eye on her that way.

Rhea, Lesha and Egret flanked them and they made swiftly for the clearing ahead. Jonan got spotted first and ducked abruptly as a shot was fired over his head, they all dived into cover and the fighting began. Liara fired a volley over the rock she and Jules had slid behind and then casually tossed a singularity into existence above two of the three asari guarding the path. Their barriers countered its pull however and it soon dissipated without causing them any problems. Fighting highly trained asari was never going to be that simple.

Their barriers could take a hell of a lot of bullets and they could counter most biotic attacks, meaning that after a few moments, Jules' squad still hadn't made much progress against them. Jules noticed that Erecleia was among them, the other two were younger and seemed to be taking their cue from her.

"We outnumber them!" Kyla cursed as she sent a hail of bullets at them and still made little impact, "This _should_ be easy!"

Jules smiled as she wondered how many of her own enemies had said that about _her_ in the past. She could hear Grunt shouting something from further ahead and suddenly the sound of a biotic explosion radiated out through the quarry, echoing off the high cliffs and making everyone duck well down out of sight as the ground shuddered beneath them.

"What the hell was that?" Rhea demanded from behind.

"It came from the other side of the canyon!" Jonan yelled back.

"Aria," Jules realised, "it must be. C'mon! Push forward!"

Erecleia hadn't been distracted by the explosion but the other two had, so much so that they became suddenly startled when they looked back and saw Jules and her squad running at them. A shockwave from Jules forced the pair of them apart and though neither fell they both staggered, their barriers weakened.

Kyla – who seemed to prefer hand-to-hand combat to a firefight – leapt on one of them, smashing her in the face with the butt of her rifle before wrestling her to the ground; Erecleia had grabbed the other and pulled her out of the way, the usual cheerful demeanour was gone from the matriarch's face to be replaced by a stoic calm as she methodically faced her opponents.

Jules could see in her eyes that she knew she was outgunned now. She spared a single glance for the asari at Kyla's mercy and then took the other one by the arm and fell back. Jules let her go.

As she turned towards Kyla she saw she was straddling the younger asari on the ground, she had already landed two punches on her and as she aimed a third Jules caught her sharply by the wrist.

"Steady on Kyla, we're not trying to kill anyone," she muttered before aiming her gun over Kyla's shoulder and firing a shot into the girl's chest. She screamed as a painful shock of energy crackled across her body and then she fell unconscious.

Jules hauled Kyla to her feet and took stock. They were at the mouth of the canyon where it opened out into the large, circular centre of the quarry, which reminded Jules very much of an arena. Cries and shouts were coming from the far side where she could see Aria's squad flooding out with all guns blazing.

The rest of Grunt's squad were forming a defensive line to try and keep them back and she saw Grunt direct Erecleia and the other one to join them before turning towards Jules' squad himself. She saw a devilish gleam in his eye and couldn't supress a smile. He was looking forward to fighting her, she realised. She also realised that she should take that as a compliment.

"You lot," she indicated to Rhea, Lesha, Jonan and Kyla and gestured to the fighting going on between Grunt and Aria's squads, "take out as many of them as you can, the rest of us will deal with Grunt."

'The rest of us' meant her, Liara and Egret; she had deliberately included Egret in this so she could see how the asari would react when pitted against her bondmate. Jules noted that she already looked uneasy about it.

As Grunt stormed towards them, both Egret and Liara drifted away from Jules' side so that they were surrounding him in a triangle. He watched them but seemed unconcerned as he kept his focus on Jules.

A sniper shot rang out above them and Jules briefly wondered who Maia was aiming at but the thought was soon brushed aside as Grunt's face split into a grin.

"Battlemaster," he greeted her in a low growl, "so you don't have the nerve to take me on alone?" he cast a glance back at the other two and Egret immediately looked _very_ uncomfortable, though Jules noticed he gave her a reassuring wink. She couldn't tell if that meant he wasn't going to hurt her or he didn't mind if she hurt him.

Jules chuckled, "I'm not an idiot, Grunt. But if you're worried I can send them away."

"No need," he shrugged, "I prefer a challenge. And I know Liara can still put up a fight these days even if you can't."

Jules frowned in mock offence, "Ouch."

Grunt slammed one fist into the other and Jules had to resist grinning as he pulled a shotgun from his back that looked so heavy most people wouldn't have been able to lift it let alone fire it. Jules strengthened her barrier, feeling the strong ripple of biotic energy across her skin before she slowly began to circle Grunt where he stood. Liara and Egret matched her movements to keep him surrounded but his eyes never left Jules as he rotated to keep her in front of him.

He moved suddenly and without warning, charging towards her with a roar that echoed through the canyon, forcing Jules to dive out of the way before he could slam into her. She hit the floor as he ran past and blindly directed a small shockwave at his back. The impact made him stagger as he skidded to a halt but he didn't fall, instead spinning on the spot and firing a shot that deflected off her barrier. She still felt the impact like a sharp slap and growled in annoyance as she leapt back to her feet.

She had no time to think before Grunt was on her, he swung his shotgun at her forcing her to duck and then dance round behind him where she aimed a kick at his leg; he was too quick for her though and soon spun round to face her again, a glint of glee in his eye as he aimed one punch, then another. The sparring continued with Jules very much on the defensive before he finally knocked her off-balance and sent her tumbling to the ground.

"You're getting slow, Shepard!" he laughed as she landed hard on her shoulder. Pain shot sharply through her joints before she scrabbled back to her feet, tossing back the stray locks of hair that had come loose through the scuffle.

She breathed heavily as she stood before him, the adrenaline from the fight was pumping through her blood making her heart pound inside her chest and she couldn't resist a smile as she realised she was starting to remember what it felt like to be alive.

Grunt wielded his shotgun and another roar broke from his throat but before he could move there was a shout behind him. A blast of biotics hit him, knocking his feet out from under him and sending him straight up into the air with a yell. He somersaulted so that he was dangling upside-down rather comically and Jules actually laughed as she saw Liara directing the attack with skill, a devilish smile painted across her lips.

Grunt hovered in the air for a moment, flailing his arms wildly like he thought he might be able to fly before Liara let him drop, "NOW JULES!" she yelled and before he could hit the ground, Jules sent forth a wave of energy that slammed into him, hurling him across the canyon with an audible bellow of frustration until he crashed into the statue of Icarus.

Jules winced at the sound of armour hitting stone before Grunt fell into the thick foliage that grew around the statue. As he disappeared beneath the greenery, they heard a string of shouts and curses.

"Whoops," Jules grimaced, "now we're in trouble."

Liara flashed her a smile before the pair of them advanced towards him with their weapons raised. Egret followed at a distance, still yet to contribute.

Grunt emerged, covered in dirt and leaves and with scowl that almost hid his enjoyment. They were closer to the rest of the fighting here and Jules could see it was a chaotic mess. A small pocket of Grunt's squad were taking on a group of Aria's while Jules' people danced around them taking whatever advantages they could.

Kyla was locked in fierce wrestling match with Barbet with neither of them seeming to have the upper hand, Jonan was pinned down behind a rock and Rhea and Lesha were coordinating their attacks from twenty feet apart and kept ducking in and out of cover so no one ever quite knew where they were.

A biotic explosion from behind the statue told her that Colt was nearby and Aria was probably with him, she seemed to have singled out the biotic turian as her wingman and was never far from his side. But Jules filtered most of that out for now, her attention solely on the angry krogan currently bearing down on her.

Jules fired two shots, which weakened his shields but didn't bring them down. He barely flickered as his icy eyes narrowed menacingly and he raised his own shotgun.

The first two shots were aimed at Liara which she deflected with ease, Jules saw a chance and made a run for him; he spotted her and swung round to aim a blow which she dodged, she channelled her power into one fist and punched him squarely in the jaw, staggering him briefly.

As she raised her gun, however, she suddenly found it ripped from her grasp and had to jump backwards as Grunt tried to smash it into her jaw. Now without a weapon Jules moved forward and punched Grunt twice, the blows seemed to disorient him but not enough to stop him from grabbing her roughly by the neck.

Before she had a chance to register the cocky grin on his face she found herself being picked up and hurled backwards through the air. She smashed into something that crumpled beneath her with a yell and rolled over to find herself lying on top of Liara.

She didn't look pristine anymore, her clothes were dusty and crumpled and she was flushed and panting from the fight. Jules could feel the heat coming off her and the hammering of her heart through her chest and for a brief second the battle ceased to exist as she became distracted by just how close their faces were to each other; close enough to kiss...

"Now's not the time, Jules," Liara broke the moment with a disapproving smile, reading Jules' face like a book as always before shoving her away.

They both scrabbled back to their feet and turned just in time to see Grunt preparing to charge at them again.

"He's learnt a few new tricks since we last saw him," Jules commented but before she could prepare herself to fight, there was a shout.

"Oi! Shepard!" she snapped her head around to see Aria appear from behind the statue, she was circling around behind Grunt and had managed to distract him too as he turned to growl at her, "What do you say we work together?" she yelled across the battlefield.

Jules frowned, "We're on different teams, Aria!" she reminded her. The asari shrugged.

"Do you want to take on me _and_ the krogan?"

Jules considered for a split-second as she exchanged a glance with Liara, then she relented, "Cover his flank!" she yelled and Grunt scowled as he realised he was completely surrounded. Jules was sure she heard him curse softly.

Aria fired twice, almost taking down his shields before he dived out of her line of fire and made a sudden beeline for Liara. He gave a roar as he charged and Liara – unable to move out of the way in time – erected a wall of biotic energy between them which Grunt ran headlong into. The force of the impact shattered the barrier and sent both of them flying backwards from each other.

As Grunt hit the ground, Jules sent a shockwave ploughing across the canyon until it hit him and sent him skidding away from her. She saw his shield finally spark and fail and then remembered she didn't have a gun. Aria was too far away, Liara was still on the ground, Egret was standing by watching in silent shock.

"EGRET!" Jules yelled, "NOW!"

The asari snapped out of her trance, raised her gun towards Grunt… and hesitated.

It must have been three seconds or more that she stood there, frozen in the middle of the battlefield, utterly unaware of anything else around her. Long enough for everyone to see her as a target. A shot rang out from one of Grunt's squad, hitting Egret square between her shoulder blades and she fell unconscious with a squeal, her gun falling uselessly from her hand.

Jules rolled her eyes, launching a brief attack against the asari who had shot her before darting forwards and grabbed Egret's gun. She was still in a crouch when she heard another shot from behind her and saw a crackle of energy pass across Grunt's body before he sagged and fell still.

 _Aria,_ Jules realised. Aria had shot Grunt. Aria was behind her with a gun while she was crouched down with her back turned.

She jumped back to her feet in an instant and spun on the spot, raising Egret's gun just in time to see Aria's rifle pointed right at her.

Aria stood only a few feet away, a sly smirk on her lips and a dangerous glint in her eye as they both levelled their weapons at each other. Around them the fighting still raged but Aria hardly seemed to care as she narrowed her eyes softly and began to circle Jules slowly. Jules matched her, keeping her firmly in her sights.

"I've often wondered if it would come to this," Aria smirked playfully, her head tilted to one side as she scrutinised Jules closely, "how is it we've never been on opposite sides before?" she asked, as though she were genuinely curious.

"I suppose there's always been bigger threats to deal with," Jules told her coldly, Aria was playing games and she wasn't sure she liked it, "the reapers, the Collectors, Cerberus…" she risked a smile, "Grunt…"

Aria laughed, "And we've teamed up to take down all of them. What happens when we run out of other people to fight?"

"I suppose we're about to find out."

Aria's trigger finger twitched teasingly and she sneered as Jules recoiled just a little, "I wonder if you'll actually be able to do it," she muttered softly, "if it comes to it. Could you pull the trigger on me, Shepard? Kill me?"

"We're only using stun rounds."

"Mm," Aria grinned, "at the moment."

Jules had thought Aria might have been so distracted by this conversation that she wouldn't have noticed Liara cautiously moving around behind her, but as Liara raised her hand to attack, Aria suddenly reacted.

She twisted her body to look behind while still keeping her gun pointed at Jules and unleashed an attack of her own just as Liara launched a shockwave at her. The two biotic forces collided, causing an explosion that shook the earth and echoed throughout the canyons.

Jules dived sideways out of the way, rolling neatly back to her feet and turning so that she had Aria in her sights. She and Liara both opened fire though their bullets deflected uselessly off Aria's barrier, weakening it only a little.

Jules channelled everything she had and sent a shockwave hurtling towards her. Though the asari stood her ground, Liara then struck her with her own attack. Caught between the two forces, Aria screamed in annoyance. It was then that they heard the heavy crack of a sniper shot, taking Aria completely by surprise as it tore through the last of her barrier, leaving her completely vulnerable.

Jules felt her adrenaline levels spike as she realised this was their beast chance to take Aria down. Liara wasted no time as she threw up a singularity above Aria's head, lifting her up into the air. Jules couldn't resist a laugh as she used her own biotics to hook the helplessly dangling asari and drag her out of the singularity's pull.

The momentum brought her hurtling towards Jules with a yell until she smashed inelegantly into the ground at her feet. She twisted instantly onto her back as she landed, giving an irritated growl as her eyes flitted about frantically in search of Jules. Jules raised her gun and marched towards her; she was amused to see a brief flicker of panic pass across Aria's face as the gun was pointed into her chest and she made an instinctive attempt to scramble away.

"Shepard!" she yelled, "Wait a-!" Jules fired, turning the rest of Aria's sentence into a painful yell before she gave her a final glare and fell unconscious.

"Goddess," Liara said breathlessly as she jogged up to meet her, staring down at Aria with a mixture of worry and glee, "she's going to _kill_ you when she wakes up."

Jules grinned, "I bet it'll be worth it just to see the look on her face."

Still, she couldn't deny a slight feeling of unease. Aria had been testing her, seeing how far she could be pushed, if she really would shoot her if she had to. And now she had her answer, Jules just didn't know what she would do with it.

She put it out of her mind and turned her attention to the rest of the fighting, only to see that it was almost over. With both their leaders gone, Aria and Grunt's squads seemed unsure of what to do with themselves. Rhea, Lesha and Jonan made such an incredible team that they had outsmarted most of their opponents, often picking them off while they fought each other. There was a small number of Grunt and Aria's people still standing and they had actually teamed up to try and deal with them. But they were backed into a corner and didn't seem to have much of a chance.

Kyla, on the other hand, was on the ground with Barbet on top of her. The pair of them were wrestling for a pistol that was gripped in both their hands. Barbet had realised he didn't need to get the gun off her if he could just twist it so it was aiming at her. He almost had it up under her chin when another sniper shot rang out and the batarian cried out and slumped suddenly on top of Kyla.

"Fucking hell!" the asari cursed as she pushed his limp body off her and jumped to her feet, looking flustered and angry, "Talk about leaving it to the last fucking second! I'm going to kill that fucking matriarch!" she was directing her yells to the ridge where Maia was hiding – though she couldn't be seen from the ground – and waving her arms wildly as though hoping it would translate how annoyed she was.

It took a coordinated effort between Jules, Liara, Rhea and Lesha to bring down Colt but the biotic turian eventually fell afoul of one of Liara's singularities and was shot neatly by Jonan. After that the battle was declared won.

Jules looked around at the carnage. Kyla was bent over double regaining her breath while the others stood in a group laughing and chatting and apparently ignoring the sea of unconscious bodies they were standing in.

Jules placed both hands on her hips and glanced about until she found Egret, lying face-down in the dirt where she had fallen. She walked over slowly – aching slightly from the battle – and crouched beside her, shaking her head.

"We only lost one," Liara said helpfully as she came up beside her. Jules threw her a look.

"One too many. Imagine if this had been real."

"Then you probably wouldn't have been ordering her to shoot Grunt," Liara reasoned, Jules frowned at her.

She was back to looking perfect again, already seeming to have recovered from the excitement as she stood tall and calm with her shoulders back and her arms by her sides. Jules stood to face her and brushed a smear of dirt from the freckles beneath her sapphire eyes.

"You never know who you're going to have to turn on or why," she mused, looking over at Aria where she lay twisted and unconscious on the ground, "you have to be prepared for that, can't afford to hesitate."

"That could be seen as a little hypocritical," Liara said, smiling mischievously as she took a step closer and glanced behind to see if anyone was listening, "as I remember, Egret wasn't the only one who allowed herself to get a little... distracted."

As Liara's eyes twinkled, Jules let her gaze wander down the length of her body and back again before she shrugged dismissively, "That's completely irrelevant. And anyway, _I_ didn't get shot. Or put the mission at risk."

"And if _we_ had been on opposing teams?" Liara challenged, "Would you have shot me?"

"Are you kidding? I'd probably have switched sides and turned on my own squad. Egret didn't even do that, she just stood there until the choice was taken away from her."

"You'd rather she'd turned on you? Or outright refused your order?"

"Yes. At least that would have shown a bit of character."

Liara went quiet, frowning down at the unconscious girl thoughtfully, "I didn't have much character when I first came aboard the Normandy."

Jules looked at her sharply, then smiled as memories of a much younger, more awkward Liara flooded back to her, "Oh you did. It was well hidden but it was there. You always spoke up when it came to things you really cared about and you were tough enough to stick up for yourself. There wasn't an archaeologist in the galaxy could convince you that your theories on the protheans were wrong," Liara exhaled in a small laugh as Jules looked back down at Egret, "she always seems like she's waiting for someone else's approval."

She sighed as she bent down and hooked one of Egret's arms around her shoulder before hoisting the unconscious girl up into her arms, "let's get her to the med station."

"What about the others?" Liara asked, looking around the now quiet battlefield and the many unconscious bodies that littered it.

Jules smiled and shrugged, "They're not on my team."


	16. Hangover

_Chapter Sixteen – Hangover_

"He had me on the ground for over ten minutes!"

"Don't exaggerate, it can't have been more than ninety seconds."

"Still long enough for you to have shot him _before_ he nearly killed me!"

"We were using stun rounds."

"Don't get clever with me babe, I never lose an argument."

"I was simply waiting for the opportune moment, I had to line up the correct shot or I might have hit you instead."

"You were waiting for the last second just to piss me off! I _know_ you did it on purpose!"

Jules licked the salty grime from her lips and grimaced under the tight humidity in the air as she listened to the continued bickering between Maia and Kyla behind her. The close heat was still suffocating and she found herself panting as she shifted the deadweight of Egret's unconcoious body in her arms and tried to hoist her into a more comfortable position to carry.

Normally she might have used biotics to help her but the fight with Aria had put a hell of a strain on her implant. She could still feel the heat coursing through it at the back of her neck and she could already hear the lecture Rhys was going to give her when they got back.

Maia had re-joined the group as they made their way through the quarry towards the exit and Kyla had turned on her almost immediately, berating her seemingly just for the fun of it. Jules couldn't help being reminded of Jack and Miranda and found herself smiling grimly.

Among the others the mood was generally light. Lesha and Rhea were teasing Jonan who had apparently fallen over at some point during the battle and had to be rescued by Rhea, something he was strongly denying – apparently it had all been part of his master plan to take down Erecleia. Needless to say, the girls didn't seem convinced.

Jules and Liara had stayed quiet as they led the squad through the thick undergrowth, though Liara kept casting her thoughtful sideways glances. There were several times she sensed Liara was about to offer to carry Egret instead but each time she seemed to think better of it and remained silent.

"You didn't have to carry her," she said at last as she ducked under an overhanging branch and swiped away a swarm of insects, "the medics would have looked after her like they will the others."

"She's my squad member," Jules replied through gritted teeth, "when was the last time I left someone behind if I could help it?"

Liara paused to hold back a mass of fern leaves, allowing Jules to go ahead of her. The tips of the leaves tickled against the sweat on her skin and she shuddered as she resisted the urge to grumble – she really did _hate_ the heat.

As she moved forward, she briefly lost her footing and slid a short distance down a drop she hadn't even seen. There was a heavy splash and she found herself knee-deep in murky, green water; the hum of amphibian life smothered all other sound and flies were dancing across the surface of the still pond. She could feel the water seeping in through the soles of her shoes and supressed a sigh as she continued.

None of the squad seemed to care about getting their feet wet and as they waded clumsily through the water the banter and the squabbling continued. Kyla still wasn't willing to back down from her argument with Maia despite the fact that the matriarch had calm but scathing comebacks for every insult directed at her. Eventually Kyla resorted to a particularly low comment about Maia's age which was followed by a loud splash.

The whole squad stopped and turned to see Kyla sitting neck-high in the water, looking slightly bewildered as she wiped the drops from her eyes and stared at Maia incredulously, "You tripped me up!" she accused indignantly. Maia simply shrugged.

"Paranoid as well as clumsy? Perhaps if you took more care in the future you wouldn't be prone to so many accidents."

Jules watched the rage boiling on Kyla's face and supressed a smile.

"Do you think those two will end up in the same squad?" Liara asked quietly. Jules smirked.

"If they do, I pity their commander."

They waded the rest of the way through water and then through another half-mile of waist high leaves until they finally emerged from the quarry into the heat of the afternoon sun. It had been spring back when they first arrived in Rinoka and by now summer had swept in, bringing with it clear skies and scorching sunlight.

It was hotter out of the shade of the quarry and Jules winced beneath the sun's rays and picked up her pace as she made for the medical station, which was inside a prefab hut by the quarry's entrance. She elbowed her way through the door and found Rhys waiting for her.

The quarian was sitting on a stool by an empty medical bed, chewing absently on the end of some kind of medical instrument as he frowned at something on the interface of his omni-tool. As Jules got closer she saw it was a crossword.

He looked up as she approached, his golden eyes glowing intently as his face split into a wide smile, "Ah!" he greeted her eagerly and his gaze fell on Egret, "First casualty? Excellent! Throw her down, let's have a look at her," he patted the bed and hopped off the stool, closing the crossword and pulling up his medical scanning software instead.

Jules eased Egret gently onto the bed as the others piled in through the door behind her; Rhys looked up to give them a cursory glance, "Anything that needs my immediate attention? No? Take a seat then," he gestured to a line of chairs along the opposite wall, "I'll be with you all in a moment."

Jules stayed by the bed as Rhys began his scans, humming cheerfully to himself as he worked. Jules didn't fail to notice the satisfied smile that had settled on his face and she raised an eyebrow, "I'd almost think you've been looking forward to this, Rhys."

He gave her a smooth, alien smile and his eyes glowed, "I don't enjoy seeing you all get injured," he assured her, "but it is nice to have something to do," he finished his scans and shut off the interface, "she's fine, just stunned. What happened?"

"She let her guard down," Jules replied simply.

"She'll regret that, those stun rounds leave you with a nasty headache. I'm under orders not to offer the stun victims any pain relief, apparently they'll learn their lesson better that way," he shook his head as though he didn't agree, but Jules did. If Egret had hesitated like that in a real battle she would probably be dead; a headache seemed a small price to pay in comparison.

She didn't say anything though as Rhys brought his omni-tool back up and began scanning her instead, "Ah, I see you've been pushing your biotic implant to its limits again," he chided her gently, "haven't we discussed this?"

"Blame Aria," Jules told him, "that woman is a powerhouse, I thought we'd never get her barrier down."

"Did you stun her?" he asked idly.

Jules nodded, "Point blank range."

"Ouch. I look forward to being very far away when she wakes up," Jules smiled as Rhys finished scanning her, "you're fine too, sit and rest for a while and I'll see to the others. Jonan, that arm looks nasty, I'll treat you first."

Rhys ushered the turian towards him and Jules left them to it. She wandered gingerly over to Liara and eased herself down into the chair beside her, breathing out steadily as she settled. Her whole body ached pleasantly from the battle, she had forgotten what coming down off an adrenaline high was like. She remembered why she used to enjoy it.

"Glad to be back in action again?" Liara asked softly and Jules turned to see the asari leaning back in her chair, her eyelids heavy and her eyes sparkling. She looked tired, but a contented kind of tired and there was a notably sly edge to her smile.

"Oh yeah," Jules replied grimly, leaning back and closing her eyes, "I've missed the aches and the pains and the near brushes with death."

"You're trying to sound sarcastic," Liara murmured, "but I know every word is true," she felt Liara lean in closer to her, felt the uncomfortably warm prickle of her breath as she added: "you look good."

Jules frowned and opened her eyes find Liara's face was unexpectedly close to her own, "I'm covered in dirt and sweat," she replied sceptically.

Liara's eyes wandered down her body and then back again, "Yes," she agreed with a smile that made Jules falter.

She was saved from having to reply by the doors to the med station crashing open, swiftly followed by a flurry of noise and activity as the rest of the medical staff swarmed inside, bringing with them the other two squads, all unconcoious and on stretchers.

As they set about loading them onto the beds, Rhys paused and looked up from Jonan's arm to watch, before turning back to Jules with a raised eyebrow, "Heavens, you really have been busy, haven't you?"

Jules shrugged innocently.

The stun rounds were beginning to wear off on some of them, Grunt was already stirring and saying something about never drinking again. Even if his hangover _had_ been caused by alcohol, Jules knew that wasn't a resolution he would ever stick to.

Then her attention was drawn by another voice.

"Shit, what the fuck happened to my head?" Aria was mumbling groggily as three asari medics fussed around her. For a moment she seemed to be half-heartedly fighting off their attempts to help her before she suddenly sat bolt upright and slapped one of them away from her so hard the medic squealed and fell backwards into one of the others.

Aria ignored her completely as she searched the room, her eyes flashing hungrily, "Where is she?" she demanded, glancing around feverishly before she finally spotted Jules and her brow hardened sharply, "SHEPARD!" she yelled, kicking her way off the bed and past the medics before charging at her like a heat-seeking missile, fists clenched, teeth bared and lilac eyes glinting dangerously.

Jules and Liara both stood, Liara had one hand around Jules' arm and Jules could feel her channelling her biotics as she settled into a fighting stance. Aria marched right up to her, stopping only when their faces were an inch apart. The room fell dead silent around them but Jules didn't flinch. The blood was pounding through her veins but she kept her expression as unreadable as possible as she stared into Aria's simmering eyes.

Then, after a moment, Aria's breathing steadied and she smirked, "Nice shot."

All around them their audience exchanged uncertain glances and began murmuring hesitantly to each other. It was clear they were expecting a fight but Jules wasn't in the mood to give them one.

"Thanks," she replied simply.

"You've got some fucking nerve, do you know that?" Aria added but there was no anger behind the statement. She almost seemed impressed.

"Hmm," Jules considered for a moment, "I'll take that as a compliment. How's the headache."

"Hurts like hell, but I've had worse hangovers," she sniffed and then looked about the room as though she had only just realised that everyone in it was watching them. Her face hardened again, "what the fuck are you lot looking at?" she demanded, prompting everyone to hurriedly look away again, "we'll talk later, Shepard," she muttered, turning away and clicking her fingers towards Rhys, "get me some fucking pain killers."

"Oh, actually we're under orders not to-" as Aria glared at him, Rhys quickly trailed off and cleared his throat, "right, pain killers coming right up."

…

Slowly, over the course of the next hour, the stun victims came round one by one. Cuts and scratches were patched up by the medics and before long they were being bundled into air-conditioned transports and were on their way back to the city.

Jules' squad were all in the same car. Rhea, Lesha and Jonan were talking and laughing loudly while the others stayed mostly silent. Maia appeared to be meditating – or possibly dozing – while Kyla sulked quietly and Egret sat with her head in her hands, wincing at every jolt of the car or barked laugh from Jonan.

Jules watched her sympathetically. She was well trained but not all that experienced and despite her skill she seemed conflicted when it came to actually hurting people. Even in the warehouse she had waited until she was completely cornered before she had retaliated against her attackers.

Jules had to remind herself just how young Egret was by asari standards. She hadn't even reached her first century yet and she was already bonded to someone – someone who was likely to live as long as she did.

That was another thing that Jules found herself wondering about.

She and Liara had been together on and off for two centuries and it was only a few decades ago that she had finally realised she would never want to be with anyone else. Considering how much they had lived through together and how much it had damaged them both she didn't suppose either of them ever _could_ be with anyone else anyway.

But Egret seemed to have made that decision about Grunt in only a few years. It wasn't like she was going to outlive Grunt and move on to someone else. A millennium was a very long time, could she really look ahead that far and know she still wanted to be with Grunt when she was a matriarch? If the answer was yes then it either meant that she was incredibly sure of herself or incredibly naïve. She knew which it was in Grunt's case but with Egret she wasn't so sure.

They finally reached the headquarters and stepped out of the car one by one, stretching their newly sore muscles before moving slowly into the building. There were a few journalists hanging around hoping to get some pictures of them but the media attention had lulled since Jules' first arrival. Apparently she was already old news.

They found Tevos waiting for them in reception, smiling welcomingly, "I assume the training session was useful?" she asked as Jules approached, "Did you learn anything?"

"A few things," she replied, "mainly that you need a new supplier for our waterproof boots, they're not as waterproof as advertised," she chucked the soaked boots she was carrying – having changed into dry shoes in the car – at the matriarch and Tevos squealed slightly as she caught them, splattering the front of her dress with mud and water.

She composed herself with a smile and held them out at arm's length until a helpful staff member was kind enough to take them from her, "I'll see to it as soon as possible," she said politely, Jules could hear several of the squad sniggering behind her.

"And we found out who would win in a fight between Shepard and Aria," Grunt added with a chuckle as he lumbering in behind her, "people have been betting on that for decades, can't believe I missed it."

Jules watched Tevos' face drop as she looked between her and Aria, "You fought each other?"

"We _were_ on opposite sides," Jules reminded her, "but don't worry, we love each other really."

"Don't push your luck," Aria muttered, massaging her temples. Apparently Rhys' pain killers had barely taken the edge off.

"Ah, Commander Shepard!" Director Damon's voice cut through their conversation and was met with a mixture of reactions. Tevos turned to smile at him calmly, Grunt grunted and Aria swore just loudly enough for the director to hear her.

However, as Jules turned to see him walking towards her, she noticed he was looking only at her while smiling charmingly as usual.

His visits to the headquarters were becoming a regular thing and Jules had noticed that there seemed to be more of the HTA's security staff wandering the corridors each day, there were at least ten of them standing guard in reception right now and four more outside the entrance.

"I'm glad you're back, Commander," Damon smiled smoothly as he came to stand in front of her, hands clasped behind his back, "I thought perhaps we could catch up over coffee, it's been a few weeks since we last spoke."

Jules openly rolled her eyes. It didn't matter how many times she told him not to call her 'Commander' he never took the hint.

"Is there something particular you wanted to talk about?" she asked expectantly, particularly aware of Liara beside her who had stiffened in annoyance. There was something about Damon that seemed to set the asari's teeth on edge.

"No," he smiled, "I just popped in to update Matriarch Tevos on our progress in tracking down Erika Jensen and-"

"Have you caught her yet?" Jules cut him off.

"Well, no-"

"Then we have nothing to discuss," she replied bluntly. All she wanted to do right now was get back to her room, get out of her grimy armour and jump into a nice cool shower and she _really_ didn't have the patience to deal with politicians.

For a moment Damon's face fell and his dazzling eyes narrowed. Then in a blink he was back and smiling broadly again.

"Of course."

He moved aside and Jules swept past him, taking Liara by the arm before anyone else could waylay them. As they stepped into one of the elevators she turned to see Damon was still watching her, blue eyes piercingly bright before the doors closed and he disappeared from view.

"God he's persistent," she muttered darkly. Over the past few months he had ambushed her several times and their meetings always went the same way: flirting and schmoozing followed by Damon subtly trying to get details about the project out of her before finally trying to recruit her into the HTA. Always she refused.

She may have helped to found the original HTA but she hardly recognised them now. Ironically she actually quite liked Damon, he was good company most of the time. If it wasn't for the fact that she disagreed with most of his principles and he was obviously trying to use her in the HTA's plans – whatever they were – she would probably even want him as a friend.

Liara wasn't as charitable. She had taken an instant disliking to him and had refused to back down from it, often watching him with those cold stares of hers that even Jules was scared of. She wasn't entirely sure what it was that Liara found so offensive about him but she had learned to trust the asari's instincts in the past.

When they reached the right floor and stepped out, they found HTA security guarding the corridor. Jules had been assured they were there for her protection but frankly she just found them a bit creepy. She could feel their eyes on her all the way back to their room and she was almost surprised not to find a guard posted outside their door when they got there.

When they finally entered the familiar, slightly cluttered room, filled with piles of Liara's datapads, Jules' clothes – which she never picked up – Jules slammed the door shut, locked it and breathed a heavy sigh.

"I need a shower," she muttered, the layer of grime between her skin and her clothes was starting to prickle uncomfortably and her hair itched with sweat.

"So do I," Liara agreed, "come on."

Before Jules could question or comment, Liara had breezed past her, snatched her by the hand and dragged her towards the bathroom.

…

Egret had slipped away from reception and found a quiet, empty room away from the others.

Somewhere she could think without Kyla smirking at her or Jonan tutting and shaking his head. Even Grunt had chuckled when he heard that she had hesitated instead of shooting him. Was it really so strange that she didn't want to turn a gun on the man she loved?

Sometimes she thought everyone else on this project must be complete lunatics.

She sighed heavily and then winced as her head thudded painfully from the inside. She was being forced to sit as still as possible with her eyes clamped shut to keep out the light. The slightest tilt of her head seemed to make her entire brain scream in agony and keeping her breathing steady was about the only thing holding back the nausea in her stomach.

Really, the last thing she needed was for someone to burst loudly through the door behind her, yell: "Here you are!" and then waltz over and slap her hard on the shoulder. When this happened she winced sharply and had to cover her mouth as she narrowly avoided throwing up.

"Oh dear," she heard Kyla chuckle. Of course it would be Kyla. After taking a second to recover, she cautiously opened her eyes and squinted at the cocky face that greeted her, "if you feel half as bad as you look babe then you have my sympathy. Those stun rounds give you a worse hangover than a whole bottle of ryncol, don't they?"

Egret grimaced and wondered if she could open her mouth without being sick. She decided to risk it, "I wouldn't know."

"Never drunk ryncol, huh?" Kyla made a face and nodded, "Know what? I believe that of you," she kicked a chair into place opposite Egret, making her wince as the legs scraped noisily against the floor. As she sat she leaned forwards, rested her elbows on her knees and ducked her head to catch Egret's eye, "I won't pretend you don't deserve it. I mean, c'mon babe, he was wide open, you could have taken him down easily."

Egret glared, partly from annoyance and partly because she wasn't actually capable of opening her eyes fully yet, "Grunt is my bondmate," she explained for the hundredth time, "I couldn't just shoot him."

"He was an enemy," Kyla corrected her, "and if you hesitated with him when we were only using stun rounds, I wonder what else you'll get squeamish about. What if you have to kill a child?"

"What?" Egret demanded, then regretted it as her own voice made her head pound, "Why would I have to kill a child?"

"Because they're pointing a gun at you," Kyla shrugged as though the answer were obvious, "if asari space is run by gangs and criminals I doubt the kids growing up there have any fancy schools to go to, what else do you think they're going to get up to?"

For a moment Egret just stared at her. It was always hard to tell whether Kyla was being serious or not, she'd actually never been able to work out if Kyla was ever serious. She was smirking as usual but there was something else glittering in her dark eyes.

"Trust me, babe, if it's a choice between you or them, always save yourself, regardless of who they are. Do you think Shepard wants people who hesitate like that?" Egret didn't know how to respond to that so instead she waited until Kyla's smirk broke into a grin and she stood, "here," she offered her a small bottle of something, "for the hangover," with that she sauntered back towards the door and left.

Egret didn't open the bottle. She had a strong suspicion that whatever it was, it probably wasn't medically approved.

…

Jules started as she was pushed back under the stream of cool water until her bare shoulders hit the wall of the shower. Liara was on her before she could think, fingers grasped into the tangled strands of her hair as the water began to soak through them. She had hungrily stripped them both out of their armour in seconds and now her mouth was at Jules' neck, her teeth grazed the skin as she kissed her urgently, like she wanted to taste the sweat and the water and the grime of the battle.

"Liara, what-"

"Be quiet," Liara pulled away to cut her off before forcing their mouths together, clumsy and desperate. She dug her fingers into Jules' thigh, hooking her leg up around her. As she broke the kiss briefly, Jules opened her mouth to speak again but Liara silenced her with a look.

"Be quiet," she warned again, before delving back in.

…

A while later, they lay together on the bedsheets. Jules' hair was still damp and tousled from the shower and a new sheen of sweat covered her skin, not from the battle this time.

Liara lay across her, her head against her chest and her hand grasping at her waist. The frantic lust that had overcome them had been sated – several times over – and had given way to the fatigue of the battle, leaving them both weary and slightly dazed.

Jules wondered idly how Liara could still surprise her after all this time. She certainly hadn't expected to be pounced on like a cat in heat – not that she was complaining. She gazed down at the woman on top of her and considered her thoughtfully.

"You okay?" she asked quietly, running her fingers gently across Liara's back and watching as the asari shuddered and smiled.

"Yes," she replied, nuzzling herself closer against Jules' body before glancing up at her, almost tentatively, "you?"

"Me?" Jules pretended to look surprised, "Oh never better… might need another shower..."

Liara breathed out a laugh and smiled against Jules' skin, "I'm sure that can be arranged."

"Seriously though," Jules continued, "you _are_ alright? I just wasn't expecting you to be quite so… affectionate."

"I'm always affectionate."

"This felt different," Jules pressed. It had felt like after the war when they had used lust and passion to block out the grim realities of the post-war world. Or after the last of the squad had died and they had been left facing a very different future. Sex was always a good distraction when you were avoiding something you didn't want to think about.

Liara's eyes were on her, glittering thoughtfully as she seemed to consider whether to share her thoughts or not, "We have a new ship," she began, slowly, "a new mission, soon we'll have a new squad. I keep thinking of the old days, the old squad."

"Hard not to," Jules agreed.

"You know I don't like to dwell on it much."

"Unlike me."

"But it almost feels like we're trying to replace them."

"And not quite succeeding."

"It's not good to look back."

"But at the same time, letting go of the past feels too much like forgetting it ever happened."

Liara sighed heavily, "I miss them, Jules."

"Yeah. Me too."

They fell into silence for a time and Jules' thoughts drifted to the training session. As much as it brought about mixed feelings, Jules couldn't deny the excitement she felt at putting a new squad together. She had spent a lot of time over the past few months trying to work out who worked best together. She had watched the friendships and the teamwork that was developing and started wondering about who would make the best team.

"What did you think of the battle today?" she asked absently, tracing patterns lazily across Liara's skin.

"I told you, it was good seeing you back in action."

Jules raised an eyebrow, "Evidently. But when you weren't fantasising about me-"

" _Fantasising_?" Liara protested, raising her head sharply to give Jules a look that made her chuckle.

"What did you think of the others?"

Liara's eyes narrowed for a moment, like she was going to object at having to talk about work but then she relented. She shifted further up Jules' body, folding her arms across Jules' chest and resting her chin on her forearms so that she was looking Jules in the eye.

"Lesha, Rhea and Jonan make a good team," she started simply and Jules nodded, the three of them did work well together, "Kyla's reckless, and unpredictable. Maia's reliable and she respects you and Egret…" she trailed off and frowned.

"Yeah," Jules agreed, "I can't work her out either. What do you think of her and Grunt?" she found herself asking. Liara frowned.

"They… seem happy together," she said carefully, "why? Don't you approve?"

"Do I have the right to an opinion? They're both adults," Liara replied with a quizzical cocking of her brow in a when-has-that-ever-stopped-you sort of way and Jules cleared her throat, "anyway, it's not that. Isn't she a bit young to be bonded to someone?"

"She's not much younger than I was when we first got together."

"That was different, we'd just lived through the war. Besides, I don't remember us making any lifelong commitments to each other back then."

It was true, in the aftermath of the war she and Liara had needed each other in ways they never had before and the few hours that they had snatched together each day had made life bearable.

Their relationship had taken all sorts of twists and turns through the decades as they tried to work out whether they were more friends or lovers. The truth had turned out to be far more complicated and Jules had given up trying to define it.

"Do you think it's possible to fall in love that easily?" she mused distractedly, "In only a few years?"

"I don't think many relationships are as complicated as ours, Jules," Liara told her. Jules had to agree.

"I suppose we've never really done normal, have we? Have we ever even been on a date?"

"One that hasn't involved running and being shot at, you mean?" Liara made a show of thinking about it, "Not that I can remember. Maybe we should try it sometime."

"Do you have any ideas?"

Jules saw the sly flicker of a plan pass through Liara's eyes and instantly regretted asking, "Actually," she smiled, "now you mention it…"

…

Grunt's head hurt.

Worse than a ryncol hangover.

Worse than after a drinking competition with Wrex.

Worse than that time he head-butted a shuttlecraft because… actually he couldn't remember why he'd done that.

Remembering hurt too.

Noise didn't help. Neither did light. Or colour. Or movement.

Egret pacing up and down in front of him, talking frantically about something he was only half keeping up with certainly wasn't helping. Her head was hurting too, making her wince every time she turned too sharply and pinch the bridge of her nose between sentences, grimacing like the headache annoyed her more than it bothered her.

It certainly wasn't stopping her from talking.

"Do you think I've let her down?" she asked, he knew she didn't want an answer and even if he'd tried, she didn't pause to wait for one, "Do you think it was a test? Does she think I'm weak because I wouldn't shoot you? She didn't even talk to me in the car, I bet she thinks I'm a liability now. Do you think she hates me?"

It was only when Grunt realised the steady thudding in his head was no longer being drowned out that he looked up and saw she had stopped to stare at him, apparently expecting an answer this time.

"Course not!" he told her emphatically, then hesitated, "Wait, who are we talking about?"

"Shepard!" she snapped, rolling her eyes and then flinching sharply and clutching her forehead, "Ow."

He smiled sympathetically, "Shepard doesn't hate you."

"She doesn't think I'm competent."

"Has she said that?"

"No."

"Well then," he shrugged, "Shepard doesn't keep her opinions to herself when it comes to stuff like this."

"Then why hasn't she said anything to me?"

Grunt blinked. Egret's purple eyes were staring at him, desperately seeking answers. She was fretting. He hated it when she fretted. She could get herself worked into such a state – usually over nothing at all – and there was never much he could do about it.

He found himself shrugging again, "If you want to know what Shepard thinks of you, why don't you just go and ask her?"

"Ask her?" Egret repeated, like it was the most unlikely solution he could have given her.

"Yeah," he agreed, "right now, just go and see her."

Egret's eyes narrowed. Grunt liked it when she frowned, the way it creased her brow just between her facial markings was strangely adorable. He'd made the mistake of telling Wrex that once, and then had to endure weeks of ridicule from him along with multiple comments about him going soft.

"I can't," she breathed, and for a second Grunt had to remind himself what they had been talking about.

"Course you can, she won't mind."

"But she's Commander Shepard."

Grunt shorted, "Just make sure you don't call her that, you know how tetchy she's gotten about it," that made Egret look scared and Grunt regretted it, "that was a joke. Seriously, just go and talk to her."

She hesitated, waiting for an excuse or a decent reason why that wasn't a good idea. Apparently none presented themselves.

"What do I say?" she asked at last.

"Whatever you want. The first time I talked to Shepard I threw her up against a wall and told her I was going to kill her," he barked a laugh that made his head sting, forcing him to slam his eyes closed until the pain dulled again. When he opened them, he found Egret chewing at the corner of her mouth, staring uneasily into space.

Grunt sighed, "Look. Shepard likes talking. Back on the Normandy we couldn't stop her from bugging us with questions and advice," he grimaced just thinking about it and Egret smiled slightly. Just slightly, but it was better than nothing.

"I think she's changed since then."

"Not that much," Grunt disagreed, "she's a bit grumpier now… and not as much fun… and her hair used to be better. But she's not so different," as Egret's face grew more sceptical, he sighed, "just go and see her."

"Now?"

"Yeah."

"What if she's… busy?"

"Stop stalling Egret, whatever she's doing, she won't mind you interrupting."

…

It turned out that Liara's idea of 'normal' was the pair of them curled up together on the sofa, watching a film like a 'normal' couple. Jules had to admit that this sounded 'normal' on paper, but for some reason it felt surreal.

It might have been because they had never actually done it before. Or perhaps it was because the film in question was a retelling of their fight against Saren over two hundred years ago with so many embellishments it was almost unrecognisable.

It had been Liara's choice, though Jules couldn't begin to fathom why, of all the films in all the galaxy, she had picked this one.

They were wrapped in thin dressing gowns, Jules' hair still tangled and dishevelled as she rested against Liara's side with her legs tucked beneath her.

She was tired after the training session. _Really_ tired, not bored tired or lack-of-proper-food tired. This was a satisfying kind of tired, the kind you earned after a long day's work, the kind she hadn't known in a long time. She was happy to let it wash over her as she nuzzled against Liara's neck, only half paying attention to what was happening on the screen.

"Strange," Liara mused absently as she traced her fingers through Jules' still-damp hair and squinted at a particularly action-filled fight scene set on the Citadel during the final battle, "I don't remember Saren being twenty feet tall or able to spit venom."

Jules snorted softly, "I don't remember me ever being that young or attractive," she scrutinised the actress who was playing her and shook her head, "what's the point of that armour she's wearing? She's got half her skin on show! And if she's just fought her way through all those geth, how the hell is her hair still perfect? And as for the one playing you… she's not nearly good-looking enough."

Liara said nothing but her hand moved from Jules' hair to squeeze her around the waist. They watched in silence as Saren was defeated through a completely implausible series of attacks and then the on-screen Jules and Liara ran towards each other across the battlefield.

"Urgh," Jules groaned, "they're going to kiss again, aren't they?" she grimaced and turned her face into Liara's shoulder so she didn't have to witness it.

The entire film seemed to have been written around the rumours about their love affair and although nothing had really happened between them until after the war, the writers of the film didn't seem to care.

The love story was – naturally – horrifically overdramatised and filled with nauseating declarations of affection that had Jules gagging every five minutes. If that wasn't bad enough, she had learned the hard way that watching sex scenes featuring a fictional version of herself was just plain creepy.

"They've stopped," Liara stated after a moment and Jules looked back to see that on-screen Jules was now holding her Liara in an embrace while saying something about her eyes being like sapphires.

"Oh for God's sake," Jules muttered, "like I'd ever say anything that cheesy, have I _ever_ told you your eyes are like sapphires?"

"Twice," Liara replied quickly, when Jules looked at her she shrugged, "as I recall, you were drunk."

Jules blinked, "And have I ever grabbed you right after a battle and started spouting romantic drivel when there could still be enemies nearby?" she challenged. When Liara opened her mouth to respond, Jules held up a hand, "Don't answer that."

They were interrupted by a sharp knock at the door. It took them both briefly by surprise; in the months they had been living at the headquarters no one had ever knocked before. Tevos and Aria seemed to be the only ones who had the nerve to disturb them and they had always done it over the comm.

They looked at each other for a second, then Jules shrugged, paused the film and called out: "Come in!"

It was Egret who entered, fidgeting as she did so. In the old days Jules had hardly ever seen an asari fidget, they had the most remarkable ability to sit or stand completely still and every movement they did make was subtle and fluid. But the ones born after the war were far more human in their mannerisms – yet another side effect of losing Thessia.

Egret's eyes flitted nervously about the room, fell on Jules – huddled into Liara's side and not even fully dressed – and then hurriedly looked away again.

"Oh," she stammered, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have… I'll just-"

"Wait," Jules called as the young asari turned as though to leave. She could only imagine how long she had spent standing outside while she plucked up the courage to knock. Egret turned back, eyes wide with a mixture of nerves and fear as she lingered uncertainly for a moment, "you wouldn't have knocked if it wasn't important and the film's rubbish anyway," she gestured vaguely to the screen as made sure the dressing gown was well tied and then scrambled to her feet, "so," she stated, smiling as she came to stand in front of Egret, "how's the head?"

Egret winced at the question, answering it in the process, "I know I screwed up," she started hurriedly, "I shouldn't have hesitated, you expected better from me and I-"

"Egret!" Jules held up a hand, halting the rushed apology, "I wasn't trying to catch you out, it was a genuine question. How is the head?"

Egret blinked, then sighed and looked down at the floor, "Sore."

Jules smiled, "Sleep it off. You'll feel better in the morning. Don't bother beating yourself up over what happened just learn from it, that's the whole point of training."

"I didn't come here just to apologise," she paused, wringing her hands in a way that briefly reminded Jules of Tali. She smiled vaguely at the memory of the quarian then shifted her attention back to the young asari in front of her.

"I want to be on your squad," Egret blurted out before quickly closing her eyes and bracing herself, like she thought something heavy was about to fall on her. Jules just blinked and eventually Egret opened her eyes again to watch her intently.

"You do realise Grunt won't be on my ship?" Jules said after a moment, "Wouldn't you rather stay with him?"

She laughed, briefly relaxing a little, "I love Grunt, but… I don't really think I want to take orders off him."

Jules could understand that, it probably wasn't the healthiest dynamic for a relationship, "Still, I'm surprised you don't want to be with him."

Egret frowned and looked down, seeming to form her next words with some difficulty, "I do. But I also want to learn from you. And…" she hesitated, wringing her hands like Tali again, "after today… perhaps it isn't such a good idea to fight alongside the person you love."

Jules couldn't help but throw a smirk back in Liara's direction and found the asari returning the smile with equal amusement. Of course Egret picked up on it at once.

"Oh," she started hurriedly, "I didn't mean… I wasn't-"

"Relax," Jules ordered, silencing her again, "does Grunt know this is what you want?"

"Of course. He knows you're my-" she stopped herself before she could say 'hero' and Jules tried not to sigh, "I mean… I've studied you my whole life – and I realise there's no way of saying that without sounding creepy – but I would _love_ the chance to serve with you. And I know you think I'm a liability-"

"Woah, wait," Jules cut her off, "have I actually said that?"

"Well… no."

"Then don't go around assuming you know my thoughts," that shut the girl up as she flushed a deeper shade of blue and promptly looked down at her shoes, "listen, Egret," Jules took a step forward, "I can't promise you anything. We haven't even talked about who we want on our squads yet and I have to pick a team who I know will work well together," Egret nodded solemnly, seemingly unable to make eye-contact, "but…" she looked up hopefully "you are very talented," Jules admitted, brightening Egret's eyes a little, "and if Grunt knows this is what you want… I suppose…" she gave up and sighed, "I'll see what I can do."

She expected the asari to smile, thank her, maybe stutter out a whole load of stuff about how grateful she was for the opportunity she may or may not be getting. She was completely unprepared when Egret suddenly lurched at her, almost toppling her over as she flung both arms tightly around Jules' neck in a brief but suffocating hug.

"Woah," Jules barked in surprise, "okay," Egret pulled away just as quickly and hesitated for a second, looking between Jules and Liara.

"Sorry," she fumbled, "I mean, thank you, Shepard. I'll just, er… I'll leave you to it."

With that she turned on her heel and bolted out of the door as quickly as she could manage. Jules watched her leave with a small, bewildered frown before turning to see Liara chuckling to herself.

"What's funny?"

The asari shrugged and smiled, "Your face, mostly. I do believe you have a fan."

* * *

 _ **Just so you know, I have a new job that's eating into all my free time, which is why updates have slowed down a bit. I haven't lost interest in the story or anything like that and I'm working on it every spare second I get but it might take me a bit longer to get chapters out from now on. I have loads planned for when they actually get to the Athena Nebula though so there's plenty more to come if you don't mind waiting for it :)**_


	17. Choosing Sides

_Chapter Seventeen – Choosing Sides_

"You did what?" Grunt asked, despite the fact that Egret had already repeated herself twice.

" _Hugged_ her," she said again, emphasizing the word as though she were talking to someone with only a loose grasp of the language she was speaking, "is that bad?" she added, before grimacing, "That's really bad isn't it?"

Grunt couldn't help but smirk as Egret grimaced at her own memory and slapped a hand over her eyes. It was the morning after the night before and the effects of being stunned had _almost_ worn off but had left both of them with a persistent fatigue that refused to shift even after a full night's sleep. Though in truth Egret had only had about half a night's sleep as she'd spent the other half tossing and turning and generally fretting about her conversation with Shepard.

It wasn't until now that Grunt had managed to get any details out of her about how it had gone.

"You _hugged_ Shepard?" he repeated with a chuckle, "Shit. You'll be lucky if you're still on this project by tomorrow."

His bondmate didn't appreciate the joke as she glared at him sharply, "This isn't funny!"

"I wouldn't worry too much," he told her with a shrug, "Shepard was always into the touchy-feely stuff," he remembered her having a certain affection for lots of the old crew, particularly Tali and Joker, even Miranda used to soften when Jules was in the room. He wondered if she missed them.

Egret snorted, " _Your_ Shepard was, maybe. This one's _very_ different from the woman in your memories."

"That's not true," he told her, "you just haven't got to know her yet, that's all."

"And I never will now! I bet she thinks I'm completely insane!"

"Probably," Grunt sniffed, happy to let his utter lack of concern show and when Egret stared at him in question he just shrugged, "that's exactly the kind of people Shepard goes for when she's picking a squad."

…

Liara settled back against the bedsheets as she watched Jules getting dressed. The activity – like most activities undertaken by the human these days – was accompanied by much grumbling and muttered curses as she kicked at the piles of clothes she insisted on leaving lying around and searched for the ones she was looking for.

Her mood had been soured even more than usual by the fact that she had been dragged from bed far too early by a call from Tevos, stating that she had scheduled a meeting of all four commanders in half-an-hour's time.

As a result, Jules was being especially impatient with her task and Liara couldn't help but find it quite amusing. As she watched Jules fighting with a pair of inside-out jeans she didn't even try to supress a chuckle, earning her a sharp glare.

"What's so funny?" she demanded, turquoise eyes gleaming angrily like gemstones.

"You're adorable when you're grumpy," Liara replied with a smile.

"I'm always grumpy."

"I know."

"Hmph," Jules retorted, scowling for a moment before she threw the jeans aside and searched for a different pair.

"You're still angry about that film last night, aren't you?" Liara observed calmly.

"No," Jules replied stubbornly, then after a moment she sniffed, "I can't believe they killed me off."

"In all fairness to them, you _did_ die a few months after defeating Saren."

"Yeah. Then I came back again. That film better have a fucking sequel – where the hell is my black top?"

Liara leaned over the side of the bed and plucked the crumpled garment from the floor before chucking it across the room. Jules yelped as it hit the back of her shoulder but managed to catch it before it fell to the floor again. She yanked it on over her head before scooping up her red locks and pulling them free from beneath the collar.

Her hair may have been shorter now but it was still thick and wild as it splayed across her back in loose, dishevelled strands. The haphazard look always suited Jules far more than if she actually put any effort in, something which Liara both loved and cursed about her.

"Right!" she turned dramatically – all messy hair and crumpled clothes – and gave Liara a scowl of such intensity it made the asari chuckle, "I'll go and see what 'her majesty' wants. Why can't she schedule meetings in advance rather than waking me up at stupid hours and summoning me like a glorified servant?"

Liara smiled, "I suppose I should have made her put a clause in the contract to avoid these situations."

"Too late now," Jules agreed grimly, wandering up to the bed and leaning down to offer her a kiss. As she did, her hand fell on the warm quilt that hid Liara's form and her eyes lingered on the soft pillows still moulded from where her head had rested and she groaned regretfully as she pulled away, "I hate Tevos," she muttered darkly, before setting her scowl deeper and turning to leave the room.

…

Jules' already dark mood worsened significantly as she stepped out of the door and almost tripped over a turian who was standing opposite it, staring past her as though she wasn't even there.

"Jesus!" she exclaimed, jumping with such alarm that the man's impassive eyes flicked to her briefly before returning to their spot on the wall. He was wearing an HTA uniform and Jules realised with some annoyance that he had probably been tasked with guarding their room. She didn't let this stop her from berating him however, even though he was probably just following someone else's orders.

"Do you want something?" she demanded. As she waited, the turian glanced at her uncertainly again as though wondering if he were expected or even allowed to answer. After a second of indecisive silence, Jules gave up on him with a dramatic roll of her eyes.

"Never mind. Just… try to stay out of the way."

With that she left him, striding purposefully through the corridors and making a point of glowering at everyone she passed. It was with much vigour that she threw open the door to Tevos' office, determined to make her bad mood felt by everyone on the other side.

She didn't exactly get her wish.

She entered the office to find Grunt, who gave her a half-hearted wave, Aria, who smirked in her usual way, and Tevos, who ignored her entrance completely as she greeted her with a smile and offered her some tea.

Jules sighed quietly to herself as she wandered forwards to take the chair between Aria and Grunt, "What's so urgent?" she asked bluntly, "Has something happened?"

"Nothing that requires our immediate attention," Tevos replied, "I've been watching the footage of yesterday's training session and I think it's time we started to discuss who we want on our crews."

Jules almost spat out the mouthful of tea she had just taken, "Seriously? You dragged me out of bed for _that_?"

"Why?" Aria asked lazily, "Were you busy?" there was a cocky slant to her smirk that made Jules scowl.

"Yes: _sleeping_."

"I apologise," Tevos stated calmly, "but I'm sure discussing the future of this project is worth sacrificing a few hours of sleep for."

"Well it's more fun when there's someone else keeping the bed warm," Aria said idly, "think back far enough, I'm sure you'll remember."

Tevos didn't bristle at the insult, she merely sighed and cast Aria a withering look, "Getting back to the matter at hand…"

Several hours in to the meeting, Jules started to think that Tevos had been right to wake them so early, it was taking a lot longer than she would have thought to pick out who they wanted.

They had started with pilots. Ereba was the only one Jules would even consider having fly her ship – she wanted to surround herself with as many friendly faces as possible and they were hard to come by these days. Once that was established it was left to Tevos, Aria and Grunt to fight over the other three. Unfortunately, Aria and Grunt both wanted the same one, they were also as stubborn and pig-headed as each other and the ensuing argument almost resulted in a fist fight.

By the time it was resolved even Tevos' patience seemed to be wearing thin and they had barely even started.

Next came the medical staff. Jules picked Rhys as her doctor as she had come to trust the skilled – if somewhat quirky – quarian. She also decided to let him choose which nurses he wanted, which meant he had to be contacted over the comm and was briefly brought into the negotiations.

Once that was settled they moved onto the more basic staff: engineers, maintenance crews and of course all the data collectors they would need for the multiple planetary surveys they would be conducting. The truth was that Liara had spent more time with those staff members than Jules had so she was also contacted and Jules left the choices up to her.

By this point half the day had gone and they still hadn't moved from the office. Even lunch had been brought in for them and they had eaten while arguing over who they wanted on their cleaning staff. It was at this point that Jules realised the four of them would probably argue over literally _anything._

It was with a grim smile that she remembered she used to try and _stop_ petty bickering like this. The smile faded as she realised she was acting exactly like the politicians who used to make her life so difficult.

"So," Tevos said at last, delicately rubbing her eyelids as though to shake off her weariness, "that brings us finally to the squads. I imagine you all have thoughts on who you want fighting beside you?"

Grunt turned immediately to Jules, blue eyes widened expectantly and she realised what he was waiting for.

She had given some thought to Egret's request since yesterday though she hadn't drawn many conclusions. It would be wrong to take her on just as a favour to Grunt, though she'd had worse reasons for recruiting people in the past.

Tevos picked up on the silent look between her and Grunt and she frowned slightly, "Shepard?"

"Egret's asked to join my squad," she explained as was slightly surprised when Tevos gave her a single nod.

"Good. I was worried about letting her stay with Grunt, it may bring about a conflict of interests if he had to order her into a life-threatening situation," Jules raised an eyebrow, she couldn't guarantee there wouldn't be a conflict of interests if _she_ had to order her friend's bondmate into a life-threatening situation but she didn't say as much.

"So unless Aria wants her…" Tevos looked over at Aria, who merely snorted.

"No way, girl's a liability."

"Hey, watch it," Grunt growled.

"That's settled then," Tevos cut in before another argument could ensue, making Jules frown sharply.

"Hold on, what do you mean 'that's settled'?"

Tevos glanced up at her and sighed, "Problem?"

All three sets of eyes fell on her and Grunt's in particular seemed to bore into her until eventually she relented, "Fine. But Egret works best people who are older than her – or relatively older anyway – people she can look up to. If I'm taking her on then I want Maia and Barbet too."

Tevos inhaled deeply to cover her reaction. Barbet and Maia were the two most experienced and reliable of all their choices, demanding both of them was a sure way of starting a fight. Thought interestingly, Aria didn't seem that bothered.

"The batarian?" she asked indifferently, "He knows his stuff, I had my eye on him for a while… until he got himself shot yesterday. You're welcome to him."

"Now hang on a minute," Grunt piped up, "you don't get to take my bondmate _and_ the best sniper in the group. I want Maia."

Jules already had her argument set and ready for that one, "Maia doesn't respond well to your orders," she told him simply.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"You're too rash, Grunt. You rush into things. Maia appreciates strategy, if she's uncomfortable with your methods then she won't be at her best."

"Hey hang on!" Grunt interrupted, "You taught me at least half of my methods, _battlemaster."_

Jules ignored him and continued, "Isla, on the other hand – you and her work brilliantly together and she can almost match Maia in skill."

"And no one else wants the miserable old- ow!" Jules cut Aria's mutterings off with a sharp kick that had the asari staring at her incredulously but surprisingly she kept her mouth shut.

In the end Grunt relented and Jules got to keep Maia and Barbet. Aria claimed Colt – unsurprisingly – and everyone agreed that Lesha, Jonan and Rhea should be kept together, eventually being placed under Tevos' command. Aria seemed to have something against matriarchs, she hadn't wanted Maia and she downright refused the idea of taking on Erecleia so in the end Tevos got her too.

The list began to get whittled down until they were left with the ones who were hardest to place.

"Kyla," Tevos said, chewing on the corner of her mouth as she looked up at the others and waited for comment. Aria just snorted scornfully and looked away while Grunt reacted somewhat similarly, making Tevos clear her throat as she clearly worried that she might have to take her.

Jules watched in amusement at her fellow commanders backing away from what they obviously saw as a challenge. Kyla was skilled, experienced and a complete pain in the neck. She probably wouldn't always follow orders, her unorthodox methods might well complicate things sometimes and she _definitely_ wouldn't keep her opinions to herself.

"I'll take her," she said with a grin, making the other three look at her with both surprise and scepticism.

"Seriously?" Aria asked.

Jules shrugged, "I like my squad to have spirit."

It wasn't until hours later, when she finally got back to their room and showed the completed list to Liara, that she realised what she had done.

"What?" she asked, when Liara started chuckling to herself. The asari handed the list back and pointed out two of the names, making Jules groan softly, "Urgh, Kyla and Maia on the same squad…"

…

"So what do you think?" she asked the next morning as she half-heartedly picked at her breakfast and considered the list for the thousandth time at least. Opposite her, Liara chewed on a mouthful of toast, giving her an excuse to think before she answered.

"You've made worse squads work," she decided, making Jules glance up from the datapad.

"Great, that's exactly the vote of confidence I was looking for," she looked back down and sighed, "Maia really winds Kyla up, just by existing."

"I think the world winds Kyla up," Liara mused, "and Maia won't rise to it."

"Really? She tripped her up in a pond."

"Allegedly," Liara smiled cunningly and took another bite of toast.

"Barbet's good a keeping Kyla in line," Jules added, more to herself than anyone, "and Kyla _does_ like Egret… though I don't know if the feeling's mutual. Egret and Maia work well together though so… that's something."

"You sound like you're trying to convince yourself," Liara said and Jules looked up to find her smiling, "it'll be fine. You managed to get the krogan and the turians to fight alongside each other, how hard can it be to make one squad work?"

She opened her mouth but was cut off by the comm bleeping, when Liara stood to answer it, Tevos replied.

"Director Damon is here," she said, she kept her voice level but even over the comm Jules could sense her unease, "he wants to speak to Shepard. Alone."

Liara looked back at Jules and raised her brow slightly. Jules sighed, "Tell him I'll be right down."

Liara shut off the comm and briefly grabbed Jules' arm as she stood and made for the door, "Be careful," she warned softly.

…

Jules entered the office that Damon claimed on his regular visits and found him sitting with his back to her in a plush leather chair, looking out over the city.

"Commander," he greeted without looking round, she didn't even react to his use of the title, it was getting boring, "coffee," he said, gesturing vaguely to two cups on a low table beside him, "black with far too much sugar, just the way you like it."

"You do make a good coffee," Jules allowed as she stepped into his eye-line and sat in an equally plush chair beside him, "believe it or not, I'll miss our little meetings when I'm in asari space."

"Hmm," Damon smiled softly and turned his eyes on her, shimmering blue like a tropical ocean, "then why not stay?"

"And join the HTA?" Jules cocked her brow knowingly, "I've got to admire your persistence, how many times do I have to say no before you take the hint?"

He blinked calmly and returned his gaze to the city, "Only once more," he said quietly, "but I do wish you'd reconsider. You would be such an asset to us, you did help to create the HTA, after all."

Jules snorted into her coffee, spluttering briefly and probably ruining any air of composure she had managed to create, " _I_ helped to bring together the remnants of the human government and the turian military in an alliance that was dedicated to keeping order in a galaxy that was in ruins," she corrected him bluntly, "I don't even recognise whatever the HTA is now."

"Yet our goals are still the same," Damon cut in before Jules could get into her stride.

"You sure about that?" she challenged, "You stockpile eezo for yourselves and use what little is left to hold governments and corporations to ransom, you impose intergalactic laws which no one can oppose because you've got the biggest fleet in the galaxy, you restrict travel – do you really need me to go on? It's obvious to anyone with eyes that you're trying to take over the galaxy."

"With the best possible intentions," Damon agreed calmly, "when the HTA was first formed didn't you stockpile food supplies and ration it out to those you thought most needed it? I believe you did the same with the eezo, and the medical supplies."

"We made a lot of tough choices," she agreed, "because we were recovering from a war."

"And we still are, Commander," Damon smiled sadly, "we still are."

Jules resisted the urge to scream in annoyance, she had learned by now that Damon never backed down from an argument and never came out of it with his opinions altered. She almost had to admire him for it.

"Why are you keeping people out of asari space?" she asked him, probably for the hundredth time.

"Because it's dangerous," he answered her as simply as always, "the factions there are powerful and in constant competition with each other. Too little is known about them to be able to negotiate or fight with them. Tevos' plan is rash and foolish and doesn't stand a chance of succeeding."

"Not with all the restrictions you've placed on her," Jules retorted, "insisting she use ships with no guns, for example."

"A sensible precaution, we don't want her stirring up trouble out there and bringing it back here. Everything we have done has been with the galaxy's best interests at heart, that is all. There is no great secret, no conspiracy. I beg of you not to let Tevos drag you into her madness, you have too much good to offer."

Jules chuckled, "You are a charmer, aren't you?" as though in answer he tilted his head to flash her his smile, "I like you Damon," she admitted, "really I do. Trouble is, I don't trust you as far as I could spit you."

"Do you trust Tevos? Or Aria?"

"Not for a second. But we're old enemies."

"Better the devil you know?"

"Something like that."

Damon sighed and genuine regret marred his features for the first time, making him look strangely older, "You're making a mistake."

"There's no such thing as mistakes," she replied, "only decisions, and they all have consequences."

He smiled faintly, "How poetic."

"I know what I'm talking about, Damon. I've made decisions that have affected the future of whole races."

He turned his eyes on her again bright and dazzling but somehow harder than before, "As have I."

A moment passed as they stared each other down until eventually Damon smiled once more, "You won't reconsider?"

"I won't," Jules replied carefully.

He sighed but nodded, "Very well. It's been nice getting to know you, Commander," he said genuinely and rose from his chair.

"That's it?" Jules asked, slightly surprised, "You're finally giving up?"

"I know when I'm beaten," he replied. Jules doubted that very much but she didn't argue as she stood and took his hand.

"The pleasure was all mine," she lied, prompting a laugh from the director.

"Be careful, Shepard," he warned her softly, "you're not safe with Tevos."

…

Jules had given up on the notion of being 'safe' a long time ago, yet for some reason Damon's warning stayed with her as she wandered back through the corridors towards the training hall. It had been such a strange thing to say, even for him.

Damon's apparent concern for her had come across as a bit odd since their first meeting and she couldn't help but wonder exactly why he had been so keen to get her off the project, and why he'd suddenly backed down now.

She entered the hall to a babble of voices that echoed off the high ceiling. The room was packed with all the crew members on the project, each waiting to be told which ship they had been assigned to. Tevos, Aria and Grunt were at the far end, talking in a huddle as they cast glances around room.

Liara was waiting by the door as Jules entered, she must have looked troubled as Liara tilted her head curiously and walked towards her.

"Is everything alright?" she asked in a low voice.

"Is everything _ever_ alright?" Jules said with a smile, as Liara's concern deepened, Jules merely shook her head, "It's nothing, I'll tell you later."

The room hushed and they looked up to see Tevos had stepped forward. She kept things brief, no empowering speech or rousing words about the importance of their mission; which was just as well as everyone in that room had heard it all too many times before. Instead she took out a datapad and read out who was assigned to each ship, going through the names in alphabetical order.

Watching the reactions of those in the room became briefly fascinating. Some smiled, some grimaced, some subtly hid disappointment while others barely contained excitement. It was those assigned to Jules' ship who had the most interesting responses though.

Ereba grinned and clenched a fist in triumph, before quickly composing herself as though she hoped no one had noticed. Egret looked disbelieving and still seemed to be processing the information five minutes later. Kyla actually choked with surprise, earning her a smirk from Barbet which she promptly elbowed him in the ribs for. The batarian himself had merely smiled and looked calmly satisfied – as he probably would have done no matter where he ended up – while Maia didn't noticeably react at all, staying straight-backed and silent where she stood.

"That's that, then," Liara murmured softly when Tevos had finished and the room broke into excited chattering. Jules turned to smile at her.

"What do you think of our crew?"

She took a moment to answer, her eyes scanning the room thoughtfully, "They… have a good commander," she stated at last, making Jules laugh.

"Well that's reassuring."

"Shepard!" she looked up to see Tevos and Aria moving through the crowd towards them while Grunt had moved away to talk to Egret. Aria was smirking at her as they approached, "your new crew looked happy," she muttered slyly.

"Yours looked terrified," Jules retorted. It wasn't true though, Aria had selected only cockiest and most outspoken crewmembers and those with nerves of steel, there were few among them who would be intimidated by her. Still, Aria snorted at the jibe.

"They know who's in charge, Shepard. Let's hope your lot are as reliable."

"Nothing's set in stone yet," Tevos stated, "we still have a few months before we're scheduled to leave, plenty of time to make changes."

"Let's make sure they know that," Aria said, "help to keep them in line."

Jules was about to reply when Aria's face fell sharply at the sight of something over Jules' shoulder. She turned to see that Damon had entered the room, flanked by ten HTA security guards, all armed.

The noise in the room began to fade as conversations trailed off and everyone turned to look at him. There was no dazzling smile on his face now and no twinkle in his eye, just a calm, cold stare as he surveyed the scene before him.

After a moment, Tevos stepped forward, "Director," she said carefully, eyeing the security guards with suspicion, "is something wrong?"

His face remained stern and when he spoke it was not to Tevos but to the room as a whole, "As of ten minutes ago," he said loudly and clearly, "the HTA has ordered the complete termination and shutdown of this project."

If Jules was honest with herself, some part of her had been expecting this. But it didn't stop the sting of dread that lurched through her, mirrored by the collected cry of outrage from the crowd as people began to exchange bewildered looks.

Damon remained unfazed, raising his voice over the ruckus as he continued, "This building is now the property of the HTA, all staff are to vacate it immediately, anyone who resists will be arrested."

The confused noise in the room grew louder, built up by months of distrust of the guards and growing resentment of the HTA and their restrictions. Jules' head was racing with options and she was all too aware that there was a potential riot brewing; Liara had stepped closer to her and was also looking around, her eyes narrowed sharply.

Beside them, Aria folded her arms, "Well," she muttered, "we all saw this coming," then she saw the look of shock and horror on Tevos' face and sighed, "or not."

"You can't do this," the matriarch protested sternly, her teeth clenched as though it were taking every ounce of control she had not to punch him. For a moment Jules actually related to her, it was a feeling she had known too often when dealing with politicians, "This is an Earth corporation, you have no jurisdiction over us while we are still on the planet, there are laws."

"Oh grow up Tevos," Aria said coldly, "they _are_ the law. The Earth government is just another one of their puppets," she sneered in disgust as she looked Damon up and down, he smiled faintly at her before turning his attention back to Tevos.

"We have been reasoning with you for months, trying to show you what a bad idea this project is but you wouldn't listen. You've left us with little choice," he turned back to his guards, "take all the senior staff into custody, including Shepard, and the other one," he waved a hand in Liara's general direction and she frowned at him, mild outrage simmering in her sapphire eyes, "arrest anyone else who resists."

"What are you hiding in the Athena Nebula?" Tevos asked suddenly, moving towards him and being swiftly caught by two of the guards, Aria lit up with biotics in response and Jules could tell things were going to get violent, "What have you done to Thessia?" Tevos demanded, heedless of the two men who were holding her back, "Why are you keeping us away?"

Damon sighed heavily and shook his head, "Bring them in," he ordered lazily as he turned towards the exit, "and try to keep casualties to a minimum."

The last part of that order would prove to be difficult as the gathered crowd made their displeasure known and the room exploded into chaos.


	18. Prison Break

_Chapter Eighteen – Prison Break_

Aria launched a shockwave at the approaching guards, knocking them off their feet and sending them skidding away across the floor. More had piled in through the doors to the hall, easily enough to apprehend everyone in the room if necessary but Aria wasn't fazed. A hard snarl had set on her face and biotic energy rippled across her body, until Tevos grabbed her firmly by both arms.

"Don't fight them," she commanded, making Aria glare at her in surprise.

"Are you insane? You'd rather get arrested?" they both ducked instinctively as a loud crack deafened them, followed by a biotic explosion that seemed to warp the air. Tevos frowned harshly.

"There will be a diplomatic solution to this, Aria. It's better if we don't resist."

"Have you heard yourself?" Aria demanded, directing a sharp attack behind the matriarch as a turian guard made to grab her, "When the HTA decides they want something, they don't bother negotiating, they just take it!"

"We can't fight them! They're too powerful! They will never run out of guards to send in here!"

"I will _not_ end up in a cell!"

Tevos tightened her grip, shaking Aria so severely it surprised her slightly. Nearby Shepard and Liara were drawing the attention of the guards with coordinated biotic attacks, distracting them long enough for Tevos to glare at her.

"What are you going to do?" she challenged, "Fight your way out and go on the run again? Alone?"

"If I have to," Aria snarled but Tevos' silken eyes had turned to steel and she clearly wasn't backing down. Her stubbornness was something Aria never ceased to underestimate, it was such a shame she only ever employed it in idiotic ploys like this one, "you can't negotiate your way out of everything!"

"And _you_ can't fight your way out of everything, certainly not on your own. I don't know why you're so desperate to get into asari space, Aria, but you have a much better chance of getting there with me."

"Even from inside an HTA detention centre?"

"We _have_ to stay together," Tevos stated, dodging the question with the skill of a politician. Aria knew there was no time for debate and she hesitated only a second longer before growling irritably and shoving Tevos away from her.

By now the room had descended into anarchy and it was clear no one in it was going to avoid being arrested. A young human guard made a grab for Aria and she punched him so hard he fell to the floor unconscious, the blow had been more for the sake of stress relief than self-preservation and she soon found herself being pounced on by a whole group of guards who were determined to take her down.

Seeing the warning flash in Tevos' eyes, she reluctantly let herself be apprehended, though not without inflicting several injuries on her attackers – some of them hopefully permanent.

It took a while for Tevos' orders to be heard over the fighting but when her voice finally carried through the chaos, her people did as she said and allowed themselves to be taken by the guards, though few looked happy about it.

"I'm assuming we have a plan," Shepard muttered as she was shoved along beside Aria, Liara had been grabbed and pulled further back down the line and Shepard was scanning the crowd for her. Aria looked expectantly at Tevos, who cleared her throat before answering.

"Not exactly."

Shepard stared at her and sighed, "Wonderful."

…

Life inside the HTA detention centre was one of monotonous routine, each day indistinguishable from the last. The exact same meals were served at the exact same times. Lights came on at six o'clock in the morning and went off at ten o'clock at night, all without fail.

There was no recreation, no fresh air or exercise and strictly no socialising. Prisoners never left their cells, never received visitors and _never_ got to leave. It would have been enough to drive most people mad.

But Adarna was not most people. She was nearly seven-hundred years old. She had served the matriarchs when the asari people had ruled the galaxy. She knew the virtue of patience, and that if one waited long enough, opportunity would always arise. Even in a place such as this.

So for months she had waited, enduring the boredom with grace and dignity and without a word of complaint.

She had meditated, receding into the depths of her own mind for hours at a time. She also watched, observing and memorising everything that went on around her – not that there was much to see.

Her cell was large enough only for her and contained only a narrow bench that served as a bed, seat and occasionally a table. A small bathroom cubical was located behind a sliding door and that was all. She hadn't left the cell in months and she was sure that probably broke several laws about humane conditions. She was also sure that the HTA felt no need to abide by any laws they didn't want to.

She was separated from the world by a shimmering, blue energy barrier. Beyond it was a small room with a console where a security was always seated and then a solid metal door that led out into a corridor she had only ever caught the briefest glimpses of.

The only slight variety in the days came from whoever happened to be on duty. There were four guards who were assigned to her cell, working twelve hour shifts at a time and Adarna had quickly worked out the rota they were on.

There was Alya, a surprisingly cheerful human who would often hum to herself while she worked at the console but generally ignored Adarna's existence. Matt was another human who looked permanently weary and would always ask how she was feeling every couple of hours but otherwise stayed silent. Every now and then he would take a break from his work, stretch then pull a picture out from his pocket and sigh heavily as he studied it before returning his attention to the console.

Talik was a battle-scarred old turian who took sly swigs from a hipflask as he worked and would spend a good deal of his time just _staring_ at her through the energy barrier, usually with a mixture of distain and disinterest. Apart from the occasional grunt, she had never heard him speak.

Then there was Sia. Sia was an asari, it was odd to see one working for the HTA but not unheard of. She was about Adarna's age, perhaps a little older and Adarna got the sense she had been a commando. She carried that kind of confidence and experience, along with the weary air of someone who had lost their place in the galaxy.

Adarna frequently wondered why she hadn't joined the project and how she had ended up with the HTA instead. But Sia was excellent at avoiding personal questions and Adarna had never got any answers. That being said, she was more open to conversation than any of the others, often abandoning her work for hours at a time to chat idly about Thessia and the old days. She never let her guard down though and ensured the conversations never strayed into anything that Adarna could find useful.

Still, she enjoyed the distraction.

One of the advantages of living under such a dull routine was that the slightest discrepancy was easily spotted. This particular day, Sia was on duty though she was nearing the end of her shift. They had talked for a while about one of the old cities back on Thessia but now she was working silently.

The sound of the door sliding open drew the attention of both her and Adarna and Adarna frowned as she saw Alya enter. She was due to take over from Sia but not for at least another half-an-hour and nothing _ever_ happened early or late around here.

Alya looked serious – also a rarity – as she crossed the room and leaned in close to Sia, muttering something that Adarna couldn't hear. The asari gave nod and Alya left, as she did Adarna noticed there was only one guard standing outside the door where there would normally be two, like one of them had been called away to something more important.

Forty minutes later, Sia was still on duty. Something bleeped up on her comm panel and she paused to read it, then seemed to sigh to herself quietly before returning to her work.

"Something wrong?" Adarna asked innocently, her curiosity was more than piqued by now. Sia looked up and studied her for a moment, then she smiled.

"Nothing to worry about," she stated. Adarna knew better than to try to get any more out of her but she didn't miss the sound of running guards outside the door, or the distant shouts that sounded distinctly like there was a riot going on.

…

The project members were proving to be difficult for the HTA guards to handle. Jules was almost proud of them. Even though Tevos had ordered them to come quietly they were still making their feelings known, mostly though yelled insults and the occasional head-butt from Grunt.

Everyone who had been in the training hall had been arrested and dragged down to the nearest HTA detention centre. Damon had disappeared – probably to somewhere quiet and safe – and left the detention centre's Chief to deal with the angry horde.

"Fucking hell!" had been his reaction when he had seen them all packed into the main holding cell, clearly spoiling for a fight, "Split them up and put them in cells for fuck's sake!"

"Sir!" one of his guards had called, "We don't have enough free cells to hold them all!"

"Then lock them up in groups, they're going to have to get cosy!"

So Jules had been grabbed and dragged away down a corridor and through one of the many identical metal doors, beyond which was a small room housing only a console and a single cell. She had been shoved unceremoniously into the cell, followed shortly by Aria and Tevos before a blue energy barrier was erected, locking the three of them in.

Aria had punched it, burning the skin off the back of her knuckles, not that she seemed to care. The turian guard assigned to watch them had chuckled, claiming that nothing could get through that energy barrier. Had he seen what Aria had done to a similar barrier two hundred years ago while taking Omega back from Cerberus, he might not have been so cocky. Jules felt no need to enlighten him.

Now Aria was pacing like a caged lion, rage simmering behind her eyes as she kept them firmly on the turian, probably dreaming up the most imaginative ways to kill him.

"Well done, Tevos," she muttered darkly as she strode restlessly back and forth, "now we're stuck in here with no plan to get out."

Tevos was silent, as she had been since leaving the headquarters. The matriarch had eased herself down onto the bench and was sitting with her hands clasped loosely in front of her and her head lowered, staring blankly at the floor.

Jules had watched her keeping her composure as they had been shoved and bundled from secure trucks into the building, surrounded by noise and chaos. Now, however, that control seemed to be draining from her. Her breathing was bordering on shaky and her hands were visibly trembling.

"You okay?" Jules asked. Tevos shot her a surprised glance and swallowed.

"Yes," she replied, though her voice sounded hollow, haunted. During the aftermath of the war Tevos had been like this, only much worse. It had ultimately led to her breakdown. Jules couldn't help but wonder if she'd ever fully recovered from it.

"It'll be okay," Jules decided, sitting swiftly next to the asari in a show of support, "we'll find a way out."

Tevos made a noise that sounded vaguely like a laugh, "How?"

"Don't know yet," Jules admitted, "but I bet I know who'll have a plan."

…

Liara leaned against the wall of the cell and did her best to look casual as she got a proper look at the layout of the small room beyond. Though the more she thought about it, perhaps looking casual when you had just been arrested was more likely to raise suspicions than if she had looked nervous and shifty.

As it happened, nervous and shifty didn't come naturally to her so she settled on glaring angrily at the single human guard who was sitting at the console beyond the energy barrier. He was ignoring her. She wondered how much backup he had waiting beyond that door. From the reaction of the prison warden, this place probably wasn't equipped to deal with such a sudden influx of prisoners so perhaps the numbers would be on their side.

Getting out wasn't the problem though, she had already theorised three separate ways she could shut down the energy field, after that it was a straight up fight. But there was no point escaping until they had a plan of where to go next. It wasn't like they could run back to the headquarters.

She sighed, chewing absently on the corner of her mouth as Grunt sidled up beside her.

"Any ideas?" he asked in a low voice.

"Not presently."

Over on the bench, Ereba was seated with her knees drawn up under her chin, staring glumly at the floor. Grunt sighed and slumped down next to her and Liara sat on his other side, for a time the three of them said nothing.

"Hey," Grunt muttered suddenly, "what if we pretend one of us is dying?"

Ereba's frown mirrored Liara's as they both turned to look at him, "What?"

"You know," he shrugged, "one of you starts screaming, the guard runs in, we take him hostage."

They continued to stare at him until Ereba snorted and shook her head, "You watch too many vids."

"Hmph," Grunt shifted indignantly, "it _could_ work."

"Escaping isn't our only problem," Liara said, "we can't do anything without knowing what the others are planning. We need a way of contacting them."

…

Barbet moved idly from one side of the cell to the other, aware of the guard's eyes following his every move. Behind him, Maia was seated quietly on the bench staring impassively at the floor and he could only guess what ideas were being forged inside that ancient mind of hers – if any.

Egret was cross-legged on the floor beside her while Kyla sat at the other end of the bench, arms folded, one leg slung over the other and a challenging scowl across her brow as she stared the guard down, daring him to make eye contact.

"Any ideas, kid?" Barbet muttered as he stopped pacing and eased himself down beside her.

"Not yet, old man," she replied coldly, "but don't worry, I've broken out of plenty of cells in my time."

Barbet smirked slightly, "I can believe it."

He became aware of whispering from the other side of the cell and looked over to see that Egret was now sitting on the bench, leaning in to Maia's side and talking quickly. The matriarch's gaze shifted up to the walls and her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"What is it?" he hissed. For a moment they paused to look at him, then, with a quick glance at the guard, Egret moved round Maia to sit beside him.

"The circuits that power the energy field must be inside the walls," she explained, "a strong enough biotic attack could warp the metal and cut off the power, disabling the field."

"Well, well," Kyla muttered, "there's a scheming mind underneath that pretty little face, who'd have thought?"

Egret huffed and glared at her.

"The cell was built with biotics in mind, however," Maia cut in calmly, "this metal is tripled reinforced, it would take an incredibly strong attack to warp it."

"Mm, don't look at me," Kyla shrugged, "I can barely knock over a teapot."

Barbet ignored her, keeping his eyes on Maia, "Can you do it?"

"Not at will. To summon that kind of concentration would take days of meditation, possibly even months."

…

Alya was back, muttering urgently to Sia as the asari listened calmly. Adarna strained her hearing, just managing to catch the words 'Tevos' and 'Shepard' before Sia hushed her, clearly more aware of how perceptive Adarna had become than the girl was.

Sia whispered something back that Adarna couldn't make out and then shooed the girl away. As the door closed, Sia looked visibly uncomfortable.

"He's finally done it then?" Adarna asked out loud, disturbing the uneasy quiet, "Damon's shut down the project?"

It was only a guess, but a reasonable one. And – from Sia's reaction – an accurate one.

"I knew he would eventually. He spent so long trying to make us give up, force would be his only option in the end. Tevos was too blind to see it. Considering all she's lived through, it's remarkable how naïve she's become. Clinging on to the vain hope that everything will be alright in the end. She completely lost her nerve after the war, you know. She's a shadow of what she used to be."

Sia remained silent, as she always did when Adarna was straying too close to forbidden topics of conversation.

"Still," Adarna continued, "I can't fault her everything. She did put the project together, even if it's a complete shambles, at least they will make it to the Athena Nebula."

Sia paused, eyes narrowed softly as she looked up through the energy field, "Will they?" she asked carefully.

Adarna smiled, "They will if I have anything to do with it."

…

Jules found herself seated between Aria and Tevos and neither of them were being very chatty. Aria was glaring at the energy field as though looks alone would be enough to destroy it while Tevos had her eyes closed and her forehead resting on clasped hands.

Jules, meanwhile, was formulating a plan.

"The ships," she muttered thoughtfully, as much to herself as any of them.

Aria looked at her with a sharp jerk of her head, "What about them?"

"Are they ready to fly? I mean, are they fully stocked?"

Aria leaned forward a little to look at Tevos, it took a moment for the matriarch to realise they were waiting for her to answer and when she did it was with a weary shrug, "Only with the basics: rations, medical supplies, that sort of thing."

Jules leaned back, well aware of Aria was watching her. She decided to stay quiet and judge how long Aria's patience would hold out. Not very long was the answer.

"Spit it out, Shepard? What are you thinking?"

She waited a second longer – just because she could – and then smiled softly, "How far away is the docking port from here? Two blocks? Damon hasn't had time to ground the ships yet, apart from some final maintenance checks they should be ready to go. All we have to do is reach them."

"Steal our own ships? Hmph," Aria sniffed, "I almost remember why I used to like you, Shepard. But where exactly are you planning for us to go?"

"The Athena Nebula," Jules stated, "once we're there we're beyond the HTA's reach. All we have to do is get through the mass relay."

"And how are we going to do that? The HTA monitors all travel. They've got the biggest fleet in the fucking galaxy and we have no guns. Remind me whose genius idea that was," she muttered darkly.

"But the ships are equipped with cloaks aren't they?" Jules argued, "They can't stop us if they can't see us."

Aria narrowed her eyes for a moment, a flicker of optimism passing through them before she smirked and shook her head, "The HTA must be able to detect us through the cloak, they'd never have let us install it otherwise."

"They don't know about it," Tevos said bluntly, making them both look at her in surprise. She was still staring at the floor, her face weary with resignation. It took a moment for her to glance up and elaborate.

"I couldn't have installed weapons without them noticing, it would have been too obvious. The cloaking system was developed by some contacts of mine in secret, the HTA don't even know it exists."

Aria snorted and shook her head, "It's worrying how often you impress me."

"Then perhaps you should stop underestimating me," Tevos retorted, there was an impatient sharpness to her tone that Jules had rarely heard.

"It's alright, stay calm," she said softly, "we can do this, we just need to get out of _here_ first."

…

Sia had felt the ripple of biotics through the air. Adarna watched as she paused and frowned. She was already on edge, her suspicions piqued by Adarna's cryptic words before. It had been a deliberate ploy. If she was too busy wondering what Adarna was plotting, she might not notice what she was actually _doing._

Forming a singularity _inside_ a triple-enforced metal wall was trickier than one might imagine, she was sure the exertion was showing on her face but she didn't let her concentration waver as she focussed on her task, unleashing the steady flow of power that she had been building for months.

Sia was on her feet now, looking frantically about the room as she felt the energy increasing. Her eyes fell on Adarna and sharpened harshly as she marched towards the energy field.

"What are you-"

The question was cut off by the groan of metal as the wall began crumple and buckle, Sia's gaze widened suddenly but before she could react the wall shattered. Metal splintered and exploded outwards accompanied by the sparks of electronics as the wiring within was ripped apart. The energy field flickered and died and with an involuntary scream, Adarna poured her last ounce of energy into the singularity, letting it dissipate in an explosion that blew the rest of the wall apart and sent metal shards splintering across the room.

She felt one graze across her cheek; another hit her in the shoulder but she paid it no mind as she stood. Sia was on the ground, dazed and covered in cuts but alive. Adarna wasn't a killer – not really – but when she had worked closely with the Matriarchs she had been privy to secrets that had made her a target so she had been taught to defend herself. She also knew that against an ex-commando she wasn't going to get many opportunities.

So it was without hesitation that she strode over to the half-conscious asari, plucked the gun that was holstered inside her jacket and aimed for her head. Sia was barely awake when the bullet tore through her face, exploding in a mass of violet blood and exposing shredded fragments of skull and brain.

Adarna turned away from the distasteful sight, blanking it from her mind as she crossed swiftly to the console. Being able to map a person's finger strokes across a console when you couldn't see the interface itself was a skill akin to lip-reading. Adarna had spent many hours watching the guards when they sat down and keyed in their access codes and it was with relative confidence that she typed in a string of numbers.

The codes were accepted and with the smallest of smiles, Adarna gained access to the mainframe, and with it the security systems.

…

Jules' reactions must have been slow compared to Aria's. By the time she had fully registered the energy field flickering out of existence, Aria was already on her feet and striding through the open cell towards the guard with an expression that promised pain.

…

In the next cell along, Kyla and Barbet charged their guard together, incapacitating him quickly while Egret made for the console.

…

Liara was the first to react in her cell, as the energy field shut off, she quickly captured the guard in a singularity. But it was Grunt who then charged at him, crushing back against the wall and wrestling him into unconsciousness.

While he was busy, Liara quickly rounded the console. It seemed that even in the HTA, security systems weren't as advanced as they had been before the war and she hacked into the system in seconds.

"It looks like all the energy fields have been taken offline," she said out loud as she scanned the interface.

"By who?" Ereba asked.

"I don't know. Hold on, I'm opening a comm link to all the other cells. Jules, can you hear me?" theoretically every other prisoner in the building could hear her but if they all responded it would just get confusing.

" _Liara?"_ Jules' voice came back over the comm, _"What's going on?"_

Before she could reply an alarm started blearing throughout the prison and the sound of running guards could be heard in the corridor outside. Liara sighed.

"Trouble."

…

"What's new?" Jules muttered as the same alarm and the same footsteps reached her own ears. She turned towards the door, ready to fight. Before she got the chance there was the heavy clunk of metal and the door seemed to lock in place. Before she could question it, Egret's voice came across the comm link.

" _I've initiated a lockdown,"_ she explained hurriedly, _"it won't keep them out for long but-"_

" _Wait,"_ she was cut off by Liara, _"I've scrambled the override codes, should give us a few more minutes."_

"Good," Jules took a moment to breath. Behind the door she could hear the guards shouting to each other in confusion as they tried to work out what the hell had happened. She was quite keen to find that out herself.

"So," she started, "who's getting a promotion for taking those energy fields down… anyone?" she was met with silence, until Liara spoke up again.

" _The command was sent from cell 614."_

"And who's in there?"

" _Hold on, I'm just… Goddess. Jules you're not going to believe this."_

" _Why? Is it so hard to imagine?"_

They froze at the sound of Adarna's voice, calm and delicate as usual. For a moment no one spoke. Jules saw Tevos and Aria's eyes lock as though in a silent debate that she wasn't privy to. It was Adarna who broke the silence.

" _Don't worry,"_ she sighed impatiently, _"I wasn't expecting thanks, and before you start trying to second guess me, I should remind you that we have very little time."_

Tevos didn't seem like she was in a hurry though, despite the sounds of the guards banging on the door outside. She was looking pensively down at the comm panel as though she were staring Adarna down through it. Delicately she licked her lips and then spoke.

"What do you want?" she asked carefully. She got a scornful scoff in reply.

" _I want the project to go ahead. I want the HTA exposed for what they really are. And I want Thessia back in the hands of the asari. Just because I didn't agree with the way you were running things that doesn't mean I wanted the project shut down."_

"You had a very dramatic reaction for a simple disagreement," Tevos stated.

" _I'll admit things didn't go to plan. But the past is the past and right now we have more pressing matters to deal with. I promise you don't want to spend several months locked up here."_

"I suppose you expect us to take you with us now?"

The question hung there for a while, though the silence was frequently broken by the sounds of the guards outside as they tried repeatedly to get in. Jules ground her teeth, they didn't have time for this.

" _Does what I expect matter?"_ Adarna replied at last, _"I've opened your cells, you're all free to do as you wish."_

…

Liara listened to the exchange with increasing irritation as numerous escape plans swirled in her head, each one being dismissed before they really took shape. It seemed that one way or the other this was going to come down to a fight, and a bloody one at that.

" _Liara,"_ Egret's voice came across the comm, on a different channel to the one everyone could hear, _"can you hear me?"_

Liara frowned, shut off the audio to the other channel and replied, "Yes, what's wrong?"

" _Er, aside from the obvious?"_ Egret asked sceptically and Liara resisted a smile, Egret hadn't been around Jules long enough for this to be business as usual yet, _"I've had an idea,"_ she continued, _"I've been looking at the facility's security systems, they have an army of mechs, all deactivated but ready to come online in the event of an emergency."_

"People are still using mechs these days?" Liara questioned, "I remember them being very unreliable before the war, I don't think we encountered any that weren't malfunctioning and trying to kill us."

"Hmph," Grunt grunted from the other side of the room, "there were the ones that were _programmed_ to kill us, they never seemed to malfunction."

"Unless we wanted them to," Liara flashed him a smile, "Egret, how hard would it be to hack into the mechs' systems?"

" _Well, I can't do it. But, if half the stories about you are true then you have more experience than me at this sort of thing."_

Liara nodded, "Leave it with me."

…

"How do we know we can trust you?" Tevos asked, after several minutes of fruitless arguing.

" _What are you suggesting?"_ Adarna replied, _"That I'm an HTA agent and all this is an elaborate trick?"_

"Maybe not but you always have an agenda."

"Everyone has an agenda, yours is to get to Thessia and I am helping you do it."

"She's got a point, Tevos," Jules hissed from over by the door. She was pressed up against the metal, trying to gauge how many guards were on the other side by the sounds they were making as they tried to get in, "and I don't want to rush you, but we really don't have time for this!"

" _Listen to her, Tevos,"_ Adarna chimed, _"she's the only one speaking sense."_

"I'm flattered you think so highly of me," Jules retorted, before turning her attention to Tevos instead, "if we're going to stand a chance of getting out of here then we need to make a break for it, now."

"It's suicide, we're outnumbered three-to-one."

Jules was fairly certain that was a random number Tevos had just picked from the air, but she wasn't far wrong. The odds weren't good.

"I've faced worse odds and we don't have a choice."

"Our people aren't even armed!"

" _Don't worry about that, I've arranged some backup,"_ they all stopped at Liara's voice, and turned to stare at the comm panel she had spoken through.

"What do you mean?" Jules asked.

" _Just trust me, we won't be outnumbered for long."_

Jules looked first at Tevos, who seemed to be slowly coming to terms with the knowledge that she was about to be thrust into a firefight, then at Aria, who was staring daggers at the door and already looked ready to kill someone. A heavy thud from the other side of that door made the decision for them.

"We're out of time," Jules declared, "we do this now."

…

Egret pushed back her chair and stood. Kyla and Barbet had positioned themselves either side of the door and Kyla was cracking her knuckles. Maia was further back, concealed in the open cell and ready to pounce. She beckoned Egret over, biotic energy glowing behind her eyes.

"Ready?" she asked softly as Egret moved beside her. Egret cast her a glance and then nodded.

" _I'm going to open all the doors simultaneously,"_ Adarna told them over the comm.

"All of them?" Kyla queried, "Aren't there like, _actual_ criminals in some of these cells?"

" _Yes, but you'll need all the distractions you can get."_

"So we're going to let murderers and psychopaths out on the streets?"

" _And probably some tax dodgers,"_ Adarna quipped sharply, _"it can't be helped."_

" _I'm going to override their security systems,"_ Liara cut in, _"in ten seconds every door in this facility will be open, we'll have a clear run to the exit. Once we're there we make for the docking port. Get ready."_

…

Liara stood as she spoke and jogged over to the door that was about to open. Grunt was waiting there, a cocky grin on his lips as Ereba stood behind him, looking slightly more apprehensive.

"How are you in a fight?" Liara asked her.

She visibly swallowed but steeled herself, "I'll be alright, just take down anyone who aims at me."

Liara nodded once, "I'll do my best."

…

The doors opened and a startled prison guard got the fright of his life as he stumbled through the sudden gap, only to be physically grabbed by Aria and flung backwards into his friends. Jules watched on, feeling somewhat redundant as Aria continued her onslaught.

Tevos was lingering behind her, the matriarch was hardly defenceless but it was clear that she was well out of her comfort zone and Jules preferred to try and keep her out of the firing line. A clunky, familiar sound reached Jules' ears, the mechanical sound of artificial joints moving in unison and she found herself frowning. It was followed swiftly by a barrage of gunfire as Aria suddenly dived back into the room and took cover behind the wall.

"That sounded like-"

"Mechs," Aria agreed, "but they're not aiming at us."

Jules couldn't supress a grin, "Liara, I knew she'd think of something."

…

"The mechs are distracting them!" Barbet yelled from the doorway, "We should make a run for it!"

"Are you insane?" Kyla demanded, "I don't know what blind moron aligned their targeting scanners but the way they're shooting we'll be lucky not to get caught in the crossfire!"

"Stop complaining and do as you're told!" the batarian ordered, "Maia and Egret will cover us."

Before Egret could get a say in the matter, Maia had moved swiftly forwards, leaving her with little option but to follow. It soon became apparent that 'making a run for it' wasn't really possible anyway. The corridor outside was too small for a proper firefight, mechs were piling in from one end while the prisoners spilled out from the cells, trapping the guards between them in a crush that was as dangerous as any fight. Noise and chaos ruled and the guards seemed as eager to escape as the prisoners were.

"This was such a bad idea," Kyla yelled, though she clearly didn't disapprove, in fact she was practically grinning with glee, her dark eyes twinkling as she ducked a hail of bullets, laughing as she did so.

She was enjoying herself so much that she didn't even notice the turian guard who lunged at her through the doorway with a combat knife in his hand.

Egret reacted instinctively, pulling Kyla behind her and hitting the turian with a biotic pull that smashed him straight up into the ceiling. The impact snapped his neck and the crunch of bones was audible before he fell back to the floor in a broken and lifeless heap.

"Wow," Kyla chuckled, her head appearing at Egret's shoulder, "you don't know your own strength."

Egret rounded on her, blood and adrenaline pulsing through her as they fuelled a sudden and unexpected rage, surprising Egret more than anyone.

"This isn't a fucking joke!" she yelled, well aware that both the words and the tone sounded utterly wrong from her mouth, "He could have killed you!"

She watched Kyla's eyes widen in bewilderment and regretted the outburst almost immediately but before anything else could be said, Barbet was between them.

"Enough!" he ordered, "We need to move. Kyla, go in front, and keep your eyes open this time!"

…

This was Liara's definition of hell. A small space crammed full of people. Claustrophobic. Loud. Chaotic. If it wasn't for the fact that she had a gun in her hand – wrestled from an unfortunate prison guard – and half of the people present were trying to kill her, she would have been well out of her comfort zone.

As it was, her fighting instinct had kicked in and drowned out the nightmare around her. She kept Ereba close behind her as she searched for a path through the crowd, the other asari's rapid breathing was threatening to become panicked but she had kept her head so far.

"We'll be out of here soon," Liara promised her, not that she entirely believed it herself. She heard Jules' voice carry over the noise and looked over to see she was beckoning everyone towards her further down the corridor. Between them, however, a crush of guards and mechs blocked the way. As much as she had programmed the mechs to attack the guards rather than the prisoners, the sheer number of people seemed to be confusing their systems as they fired their weapons somewhat blindly into the crowd.

"GRUNT!" Liara yelled, "We need to clear a path!"

Though she couldn't see him, the krogan yelled back to her from behind, "Leave it to me!"

A split second later a blur of colour charged past with a roar that drowned out the noise, scattering the horde and sending people and metal limbs flying.

"Typical krogan problem solving," Liara heard Ereba mutter.

"C'mon," she replied, "let's move."

…

Grunt smashed his way through the crowd, staggering to a halt in front of Jules just as she was wrestling a rifle off a one-armed mech. She beheaded the machine with bioticly charged punch and then turned to nod at Grunt appreciatively.

"Good work."

He chuckled deeply.

Liara emerged in his wake, shielding Ereba as best she could as she fired a few random shots at the guards behind her.

"We've cleared the way to the exit!" Jules yelled to them, taking Ereba's arm and urging her past, "Go on, run!" Ereba did as she was told while Liara lingered.

"Where's Tevos?" she asked, eyes sharp as she scanned the mounting chaos. Luckily the fight between the guards and the mechs seemed to be taking priority over all else and more of the artificial fighters were emerging through the open doors.

"Aria's taken her, they should be at the exit."

"Shepard!" she looked over at Barbet's voice, the batarian was standing with Egret, Kyla and Maia as the four of them formed a defensive line to protect the unarmed project members as they fled, "We need to move! Now!"

"Wait!" Liara said, "How do we know we've got everyone!"

Jules looked at her, around them gunfire and smoke filled the air, "We don't," she admitted, "but this is an everyone-for-themselves kind of situation. We need to go."  
Liara's hesitation was momentary before her face hardened and she nodded swiftly.

Barbet and the squad covered them as they ran, Jules could hear him shouting orders to the others, Egret's attacks were strong enough to shake the walls and seemed to leave only a few for Kyla and Barbet to pick off.

They barged into the entrance area to find all the doors being guarded by the other squads and the reception staff on the floor with guns to their heads. Tevos was standing in the middle, pacing nervously and steeling herself at every distant gunshot. Aria meanwhile seemed to be the one in charge and when Jules emerged the asari beelined for her.

"About fucking time, I was close to leaving without you."

"Do we have everyone?" Jules asked, scanning the full entrance area and trying to estimate how many had made it through.

"We have enough," Aria retorted, "so let's move."

…

The journey through the streets was easier than Jules might have expected. It wasn't like the HTA could do much to pursue them through the traffic and the pedestrians. Of course it didn't take long for the news cameras to find them, but by then they were already at the docking port.

There wasn't much in the way of security and the few guards who did greet them were so bewildered by the two hundred or so people suddenly demanding entry that they did little to stop them. One look at the now armed squad members was enough to make the docking port staff compliant and they were soon piling into the landing pads.

"Everyone try and get on the right ship!" Jules yelled as she stood at the entrance and ushered them all past her, "We spent long enough selecting you all!"

Liara dashed past with most of Jules' crew following her while Grunt loudly directed his crew to the right ship. Tevos had been at the head of the group and was already aboard the Athame; the last few stranglers passed with Aria bringing up the rear, swaggering casually with a rifle resting on her shoulder as she showed no more exertion than if she'd been out for a relaxing stroll.

"That's all of them," she reported lazily, "let's go."

But Jules hesitated, frowning past her even though she knew no one else was coming.

"What do you think happened to Adarna?" she asked suddenly. Aria frowned at her as though the question was irrelevant.

"Who cares? We need to go."

…

By the time Damon arrived at the detention centre, the fun was all over. The entrance doors were wide open – along with all the other doors – and the security systems were offline. He stepped over the body of a dead guard and sighed at the sight that greeted him.

Bits of broken mech were scattered about the corridors along with blood smears of varying colours and ugly, black bullet holes. The guard who greeted him was nervous and sickeningly apologetic as he shakily handed him a cobbled together estimate of how many prisoners had escaped and how many guards had been killed. He had cast a disgusted glance at the figures before tossing the datapad back to him and moving on without a word.

Some of the prisoners had been apprehended and were now being held at gunpoint by flustered guards who frankly didn't look fit to be wielding weapons. Damon did well to hide his distain, that his own staff could be so utterly incompetent was, frankly, embarrassing.

No one seemed to have the courage to offer to escort him as he made his way through the facility, encountering more mess and chaos around every corner.

So he walked alone, fists clenched, jaw set hard enough to be painful but it took his mind off how he was going to explain this to the rest of the HTA's board of directors.

He found the cell he was looking for and stopped dead in the open doorway.

Adarna sat silently in a metal chair, four armed guards surrounding her. The asari guard she had killed lay not far away. No one had made any attempt to move or cover her.

Adarna's eyes flickered up to meet his as he entered and for a moment they merely stared at each other. He felt no anger from her, no judgement or triumph. Merely calm, as though she somehow believed she was still in control.

His gaze shifted to the wall where a gaping hole exposed the warped and twisted metal and the circuits she had cut through still fizzed and sparked.

"I must admit," he said smoothly, fixing his eyes back on the asari, "I'm impressed."

Adarna cocked her head, "It shows how little knowledge and regard you have for my people if a little biotic prowess impresses you so easily."

Damon smiled to keep himself from laughing, "Ah yes, the great asari goddesses who once ruled the galaxy," he paused, deliberately, "times have moved on."

"Live long enough, Damon, and you'll learn that things never move _on,_ they simply go in cycles. Every piece of progress you achieve will one day be undone, every decision you make will one day be meaningless."

"What a depressing reality you face."

"It's the same as your reality, you just don't see it as clearly."

Damon set his jaw once again. Taking with an asari was like driving in circles – as pointless as it was frustrating.

"I should thank you," he stated to change the subject, "for exposing a weakness in our prison design. I promise you we'll learn from it. Of course now that we know how dangerous you are, we'll have to secure you somewhere else. Somewhere less hospitable."

Adarna smiled innocently, "Less hospitable than here?"

She didn't seem worried. She should have been worried. Damon made sure she realised that as he let his face fall darkly.

"Much."

He took pleasure in the shudder that seemed to pass through her and the way she steeled herself to try and hide it, "Send me wherever you wish," she said, boldly, "Tevos and the others will already be beyond your reach, you can't stop them from reaching Thessia."

"Really?" Damon challenged, "They have four ships, _we_ have the biggest fleet in the galaxy. We'll see who comes off better."

…

Jules hovered by Ereba's shoulder, gazing out at the mass relay through the cockpit. The ships' cloaking systems had got them off Earth and out of the Sol System, leaving the confused HTA ships still searching for them in Earth's orbit.

The first mass relay jump had caused them no problems but the relay that led to the Athena Nebula was guarded by a small fleet of HTA ships and – by all accounts – never travelled through.

"Can they see us?" Jules asked quietly as she silently counted vessels hanging motionless before them, completely surrounding the ancient relay like bees swarming a hive.

"No," Ereba replied, "but once the relay fires up, I think they'll cotton on pretty quickly to where we are," a bleep at her console drew Ereba's attention and she read something on the display, "Tevos is ordering us to move forward," she announced.

Jules nodded, exhaling slowly before stating: "Take us in."


	19. Asari Space

_Chapter Nineteen – Asari Space_

Jules stared out at the void of space. Distant stars shimmered in the blackness, silent and still; there was nothing strange about the sight, nothing overwhelming or out of place. In all honesty, asari space looked… exactly like every other section of space – black, empty and disappointingly normal.

She didn't know what she'd expected. After all the build-up, the journey through the relay had felt like a leap into some otherworldly domain, like they might emerge into a different dimension or a brutal battlefield. In reality, it just looked like space.

Ereba's hands were hovering over her console, awaiting orders. Jules found herself breaking the continuing silence by tapping softly on the back of the pilot's chair before she finally sighed and spoke.

"Are there _any_ other ships in the area?"

"No," Ereba replied.

"And no one followed us through?"

"No one," she confirmed.

The HTA fleet hadn't been able to put up much of a fight against foes they couldn't see and all four of Tevos' ships had made it through unscathed but they had found nothing waiting for them on the other side except silence and stillness.

"Strange…" Jules muttered, "I'd expected this side to be guarded too. Seems odd that there would be _no one._ "

"According to the HTA, no one ever leaves asari space so no one ever uses the relay."

"Hm," Jules mused, "I wonder why."

The comm bleeped and Ereba looked down, "It's Tevos."

Jules nodded and Ereba put her through.

" _Shepard. It's time we split up,"_ she stated, bluntly, _"I'm sending Grunt to the Ialessa System, Aria will cover Vernio and Tomaros and I'm going to Orisoni. I want you to stay here in the Parnitha System to find out all you can."_

"This is the system with Thessia in it," Jules stated, not that she imagined Tevos needed reminding.

" _Yes. Though she's not your main goal yet. We've detected signs of civilisation on several of the other planets and moons. Try to find out what you can about the society here before you go near Thessia, we need to handle this delicately. Don't tell anyone who we really are or why we're here."_

"What do you think we'll find?"

There was a pause, _"I have no idea."_

Jules watched Ereba shift in her seat. As daunting as the admission was, she felt her own heart quicken. There was nothing more enticing than a mystery to solve.

"Good luck."

" _And you. Stay safe Shepard."_

As the comm cut off, Ereba studied her console, "They're moving away," she reported, "looks like we're on our own," as she frowned down at her map of the system, she seemed suddenly overwhelmed, "where do we start?"

For a moment Jules just gazed out at the stars, and the emptiness that held so many secrets, "Get a full scan of the system." she decided, "Let's see what we can see."

She left Ereba to it, aware that the rest of her crew were probably in need of some reassurance after what they'd been through the past few hours. She remembered vaguely that she used to be good at that sort of thing. That felt like a _long_ time ago now.

The light on the _Janiri_ was just as irritating as the light on the _Armali_ had been. The pale blue glow that filled the corridors was already giving Jules a headache, dim enough to strain her eyes and yet somehow bright enough to make her squint as she traversed the winding passages until the sound of voices led her to the mess hall.

It was packed, it seemed the whole crew was there. Uncertain murmuring filled the room but as Jules entered it petered out and everyone turned to look at her, worry glimmering in their eyes. Jules stopped dead for a second as the hush descended and found herself looking to Liara, who was lingering by the doorway with a datapad in her hand.

"Is this everyone?" she asked softly, casting a glance around the room. Liara looked up at her and then shook her head.

"We left five behind. Three analysts, a comms officer and one of the nurses," she passed Jules the datapad and she saw five names she vaguely recognised all highlighted in red. She nodded slowly and looked back at the room. The mostly-asari crew were still looking at her, waiting.

"Ah hell," Jules muttered, quiet enough so only Liara heard her, "it's been a long time since I've had to do this," she passed the datapad back and gratefully registered the encouraging smile Liara was giving her before she stepped forward and cleared her throat.

"We're now officially on our own," she began, then instantly realised that it probably wasn't the best way to start a rousing speech as several people shifted uncomfortably and looked down at the floor. She continued regardless, "Tevos has assigned us to the Parnitha System, our goal is to collect all the data we can and work out exactly what has been going on in asari space for the past two centuries. I know we had to leave in a hurry, no one got the chance to pick up any personal belongings or say any goodbyes. But the ship's well stocked, so long as we all pull together, we've got more than enough to complete our mission."

She looked around at the glittering pairs of asari eyes, all on her. Their stares were intense, narrowed in concern. They wanted more from her. Reassurance. Confidence. Inspiration. Commander Shepard would have been brimming with all that.

She clenched her fists as she tried to mentally kick herself into shape and remember what the hell it was she had back then that had made people follow her. As far as she could recall she used to tell herself to speak from the heart. She'd always been so sure what was in her heart back then, now things were a bit muddier.

She glanced back at Liara.

"Thessia was never my home," she started carefully, "but I fought to save it, like I did every home world, and every colony. I only visited it once, during the war, when the reapers were in the last stages of their assault. I've always regretted that I never got to see it before then."

A memory flitted back to her, quite unexpectedly. Her and Liara face down in a pile of rubble where they had dived to avoid a Harvester's missiles, coughing through hot smoke and the stench of burning wreckage, "This city used to be beautiful!" Liara had spat, half choking on dust and grit as buildings crumbled around them. Cuts had marred her face, leaving violet tear tracks of blood down her cheeks; barely contained anger was making her shake as she slammed a fist against the rubble and struggled to her feet. Jules had never seen her like that before, she had caught hold of her by both arms, wanting a way to keep her friend grounded amongst the chaos.

"We'll rebuild it," she had assured with a smile, "after all this is over, we'll come back and we'll rebuild it."

People said stupid things like that all the time, mostly they were meaningless. But when Commander Shepard had said something it was more than a sentiment, it was a promise.

As she gazed quietly at Liara now she wondered if the asari still remembered that conversation.

"I made a promise after the war," she found herself continuing out loud, "that we'd rebuild everything the reapers took from us. Every home. Every city. Every planet. I seem to have taken a break from that promise over the last hundred years. But now I'm back and it looks like there's still work to do. So!" she turned back on the gathered crew, making them jump slightly and straighten up, "Whatever is happening on Thessia, whatever reason the HTA have for keeping people away, we are going to find it and we are going to get Thessia back."

She saw, with slight surprise, that the crew were smiling, reflecting the hope that now shone in their eyes. It looked like she could still inspire a room, even if she didn't entirely believe what she was saying anymore.

"Let's get to work," she finished, "we've got a lot to do."

The crew dispersed and conversation filled the room as preparations started. Jules felt Liara sidle up beside her.

"That was well done," she muttered in her ear.

"Yeah, well," Jules shrugged in reply, "I made you a promise didn't I? Two hundred years ago, in a pile of rubble."

"I remember."

Jules slapped her softly on the arm, "Well you could have reminded _me_!"

"I knew you'd get round to it eventually."

…

The next few hours were chaotic to say the least. Their hurried departure meant that nothing had been organised properly, half the computer systems weren't set up yet – which was giving the tech teams a whole string of headaches – the supplies were all still in the cargo bay waiting to be unpacked and nothing like a rota or a shift system had been put in place yet.

Another big problem was that no one had been assigned their rooms. There weren't enough cabins on the _Janiri_ for everyone to have their own and most would have to share in twos or threes. It was all meant to have been sorted out by the commanders long before they left but since that hadn't happened the task had instead been dumped on Barbet's shoulders.

The batarian wasn't entirely sure why Shepard had given him the responsibility. Maybe it was some kind of test of his patience. It was certainly turning into one.

At first he'd thought it would be easy. Apart from him, Rhys and Shepard the crew were all asari so he didn't have to worry about putting different species in with each other, or different genders come to think of it. But as it turned out, asari were unbearably picky about who they shared a room with.

The requests and complaints came in droves as he sat in the middle of the mess hall, surrounded by the bustle of the crew as they ran back and forth, exchanging datapads, coordinating tasks and generally trying to organise the chaos their sudden escape had left them with. Barely one of them passed by his chair without stopping to make their preferences known.

"Barbet, don't put me in with Maia, I can't share a room with someone six-hundred years older than me."

"Barbet, I won't share with any of the nurses, they smell of antiseptic."

"Barbet, find me someone who works opposite shifts to me."

"Barbet, can I have my own room?"

"Barbet, I can only sleep if I'm on the starboard side."

"GIRLS!" he finally shouted, bringing a sudden halt to the activity in the room as everyone froze and looked at him, "You will go wherever I decide to put you and I will not have _any_ arguments!" startled eyes widened and looks were exchanged and Barbet realised he sounded like a stressed-out father tired of reasoning with a band of unruly daughters. He was starting to feel like one too, "Now get back to work!" he ordered and the crew dutifully went back to what they were doing, albeit a little more subdued than before.

He heard Kyla's soft cackle and looked up to see her standing in front of him, arms folded, "Didn't I warn you, old man? If there's one thing we asari are good at, it's petty squabbling. That and sex."

He snorted despite himself, "Makes me wonder how the hell you managed to become the most powerful race in the galaxy."  
"Like I said," Kyla shrugged, "sex. It's amazing the things people will do just for the promise of it."

Barbet decide to ignore the fact that she had just degraded her entire species to nothing more than a race of gorgeous seducers, something he had never believed even if others did. Instead he sighed and tossed her a key card.

"I've put you in with Egret, room C7."

Kyla took the card and gave it a cursory glance before shrugging and pocketing it, "Fair enough."

"Really? No complaints? I thought you'd hate having to share?"

"Why?" she scrunched up her face as she shrugged, "It's better than sleeping alone," she gave him a wink that made him grimace.

"Don't get any ideas, kid. Aside from being centuries younger than you she's also spoken for, remember? By a very large krogan."

"Urgh," Kyla rolled her eyes, "don't worry old man, I'll behave."

He slouched back in his chair as she wandered away, wondering exactly how much trouble she was going to get herself into during this mission. He'd known Kyla for a while now and he knew that attracting trouble was a particular talent of hers. One she often exploited deliberately.

He spotted Shepard across the room and straightened up as she made her way towards him, "How's it going?" she asked, nodding at the datapad in front of him.

"Getting there," he told her with a fake smile she wasn't meant to fall for.

"Good."

"Er, there was one thing I needed to ask you," he cleared his throat, wondering how exactly he was going to broach this, "I'm… assuming you and Liara will be… in the same room."

A smile twitched on Shepard's lips, "Ye-es, I'm assuming that too."

"Right," he nodded, "it's just… the captain's cabin is quite small, only built for one…" he bought himself time with a cough, "the bed might be a bit… small for two."

The smile broke fully now, dazzling in Shepard's bright eyes, "Oh don't worry about that," she leaned in over the table and beckoned him closer as she whispered, "we don't mind cuddling up if we have too."

Barbet blinked, "Right. Good."

He was really starting to wonder what the hell he had gotten himself into by signing up for this mission.

…

Since the _Janiri_ wasn't built for combat, there wasn't a CIC or even a command centre. As a consequence, Jules spent the first few hours in asari space aimlessly wandering the decks, trying to find somewhere she could stand where she actually felt like she was in command.

There was a main room in the heart of the ship that was packed full of screens and consoles where analysts would spend hours sifting through the reams of data that the survey scans would produce. It even had a central, oval console and a galaxy map like the Normandy's CIC had. But it lacked both the drama and the finesse of the Normandy and somehow Jules couldn't picture herself giving orders from there.

There was an observation dome at the top of the ship that afforded a magnificent view of the stars and everything going on around. It was also constructed entirely of glass and therefore a _massive_ structural weakness. Legion wouldn't have approved. You certainly wouldn't want to be standing in it if the ship was attacked.

Most of the ship was corridors with comfortable little rooms tucked away between them, serving a range of purposes from store cupboards to lounges to computer rooms. There was nothing that really screamed 'I'm in command!'

In the end she settled for joining Ereba in the cockpit again. There was only one pilot seat but as she leaned on the back of it and gazed down at Ereba's console she could see Ereba was getting a constant rundown of pretty much everything that was going on both inside and outside the ship, making this easily the best place to command from. Shame it was a bit cramped.

"Find anything interesting yet?" she asked.

Ereba was leaning back in her chair, watching the reams of data coming in with an impassive gaze, "Tevos was right, there's life signs on a lot of the planets and moons that were colonised before the war, some of them in the billions. I've tracked quite a lot of ships too and more than a few skirmishes. The HTA weren't lying when they said this area of space isn't safe. None of them have detected us."

"What about Thessia?"

Ereba's reaction was telling in itself as she cocked a brow and leaned forward over her controls, "I was going to call about that," she tapped the console and zoomed in on an area of the map in front of her, " _that_ is Thessia, or at least that's where it should be."

The area she was pointing to was a complete dead zone. There was no planet, but that wasn't the strangest thing. There was no _anything._ No background radiation, no radio waves, no comm signals. Nothing.

"Our scans are being blocked," Jules muttered.

"Yes," Ereba agreed, "I did a more detailed scan and I still can't detect Thessia but I did find these," an image came up on the screen of what looked like a satellite, though Jules hadn't seen the design before.

"There's a whole network of them," Ereba explained, "thousands of them in orbit around the planet, they're blocking everything both in and out. Scans, comms… everything. I've seen ships going in, they just disappear off the map."

Jules raised an eyebrow, "Do they reappear again?"

"Yes. But I've no idea what they do down there."

"You ever seen anything like those satellites before?"

Ereba shook her head, "They're very advanced, more so than anything I've seen since the war."

"What the hell are they hiding?"

Ereba looked round, "And who put them there?" there was a moment of silence and Jules was aware of Ereba's eyes still on her, "Are we going to go and take a look?" she asked eventually.

"Not yet," Ereba gave a steely nod and turned back to the console, Jules smiled sympathetically, "I know you want to know what's going on. So do I. But like Tevos said, we need to find out everything we can before we go wading in on Thessia."

A bleep distracted them and Ereba looked down, "Distress signal," she frowned, "it's coming from a ship… looks like a freighter."

"Are they under attack?"

There was a pause, "I think they _were._ The engines have been shot out but there's no other ships in the area. No life signs either, they might already have been rescued."

"Or killed," Jules pondered for a moment, idly tapping on the back of the chair, "how far away are we?"

Ereba considered, "I could get us there in thirty minutes."

…

Kyla meandered through the corridors, hands thrust in her pockets as she looked for the right door. She had managed to skilfully evade most of the frantic activity that was going on and instead of helping to unbox food supplies or set up software she was planning on testing the comfort of her new bed through the method of a long overdue nap.

There was no point in getting in everyone else's way, by the time she woke up everything would be sorted and no one would have noticed she hadn't been around to help. And even if they did, she didn't really care.

She whistled happily as she passed rooms C5, C6 and came to C7. She flicked the key card over the lock and the door slid open. She was about to stroll through but stopped halfway; the jaunty tune paused on her lips as her eyes fell on Egret.

The younger asari was cross-legged on one of the two beds that were crammed in on either side of the ridiculously tiny room. A datapad lying in front of her showed a disconnected comm link and wet lines down her cheeks indicated that she had been crying. Actually she was still crying.

She looked up at Kyla and then quickly ducked her head and wiped away the tears, she obviously hadn't expected to be disturbed.

"Bad time?" Kyla ventured, flicking her thumb back towards the still open door to show she was happy to leave again. She could always find somewhere else to nap. She was a bit of an expert at finding dark corners to doze in when she was meant to be busy. Maintenance ducts, store rooms, empty crates, she could sleep anywhere.

But Egret sniffed and shook her head, "It's okay. I was just talking to Grunt," she gestured vaguely to the datapad and Kyla nodded.

"Ah. Yeah. It's rough when you don't get to say goodbye, eh?" a soft frown creased Egret's brow, like she was wondering if she'd heard right and Kyla felt her nerves bristle, "Oh don't look at me like that! I'm not a fucking monster! I do know what it's like to care about someone!"

Egret flinched, taken aback by the outburst. It was a reaction Kyla was used to, she'd always been too brash for most people to handle.

"Sorry," Egret mumbled, "I didn't mean…"

"Forget it," Kyla swaggered over to the other bed, letting the door slide shut behind her as she threw herself down onto the mattress. It bounced back beneath her, springing her a millimetre or two into the air. It wasn't very roomy but it was comfy enough, better than some of the places she'd slept in the past. It was also one of the rare occasions that she was grateful for being so short, most asari would have struggled to stretch their legs out in this bed but it was the perfect length for her.

She tested the pillow with similar vigour before settling her head on it and deciding that this would do well enough for her. She glanced over to see Egret staring quietly down at the bedsheets, she could practically hear the girl's brain whirring as she tried to think of something to say. The silence might have been awkward but Kyla was usually oblivious to that sort of thing. Eventually she sighed.

"Look, babe, if we're going to share this room you're going to have to learn to ignore most of the crap that comes out of my mouth. I forget I've said most of it and the rest I probably don't mean anyway."

There was a pause as Egret frowned. Kyla watched her knotting the sheets between her fingers and when the girl didn't speak, she cleared her throat.

"Although… having said that; I realise that I may have neglected to thank you when you smashed in that idiot's skull before he could put a bullet through me, so… er… thanks."

She tailed off, frowning critically at herself. She was shit at this kind of thing.

Egret shrugged miserably, "You'd have done the same for me."

She snorted ungracefully, "Sure, if I was paying enough attention to notice," she winced even as the words came out, "see, that's where a normal person would say something like: 'sure babe, you can always count on me'."

She heard a strangled sort of gurgle and realised Egret was laughing through a nose bunged up with residual tears, "What's so fucking funny?"

She swallowed and shook her head, "Normal people lie a lot, at least you're honest."

"If you mean I say the first fucking thing that comes into my head without thinking then sure, I was born without a filter."

"Let me guess," Egret smiled, "your father was a batarian?"

"Oh no. Trust me, babe, I get all this from my mother's side."

She settled back against her pillow again and closed her eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking a nap, it's been a long day."

There was a pause, "Aren't we meant to be out there, helping?"

"Yup."

Another pause, "Nobody else is getting to take a nap."

"I should hope not. If we all skive off someone might notice, no one's going to miss me though. I reckon I've got at least four hours before I even have to leave this room."

It was almost like the universe had a sense of humour, why else would it have picked that exact moment for the comm to bleep and Shepard's voice to break into the room.

"Kyla, meet me and Barbet by the airlock in ten minutes, I've got a job for us."

The only thing slightly more annoying than the irate bleep of the comm shutting off again was the stifled sound of Egret giggling.


	20. The Freighter

_Chapter Twenty – The Freighter_

Suiting up for a mission when all the ship's supplies were still boxed up in the cargo bay – a cargo bay that was currently being mobbed by the rest of the crew as they all tried to find whatever it was _they_ needed – was proving to be far from fun.

From the moment Kyla entered she was met by a babble of voices and chaos as people climbed over each other – sometimes literally – to dig through the numerous crates that had been pulled out and opened, so that their contents could be strewn across the floor. It wasn't helping that none of the crates had been labelled and there seemed to be no logic in the way they had been packed.

She had taken one look the noise and the confusion and had nearly turned on her heel and headed right back out again, back to her tiny room and her surprisingly comfortable bed. But she didn't, instead she gritted her teeth and stepped into the fray.

"Hey," she caught one of the crew by the waist as she hurried by, "armour? Weapons?" she asked hopefully.

"Er…" the asari paused for a second then gestured vaguely to the far corner of the hold, "try over there."

"Thanks," Kyla grunted and began to pick her way across the deck. Over the sea of blue, a shock of red gave Shepard away - apparently having been held up here too. Beside her, Barbet's tall frame towered over the crowd and Kyla made for them, figuring that if anyone was going to be next to the guns it would be them.

Sure enough, she reached them just as Shepard was fishing a gold-plated shotgun out from one of the boxes. It was an impressive piece of kit, as powerful as it was shiny and Kyla whistled as she approached.

"Do we all get guns as fancy as that?"

Shepard tossed her a crooked grin, turquoise eyes shining in startling contrast to her scarlet hair, "Sorry, this was a present from Grunt."

"Just the standard ones for us, kid," Barbet added as he threw her a more basic model. She caught it neatly in both hands and weighed it up with a shrug. It wasn't as flashy as Shepard's but she was willing to bet it was just as good at blowing a man's brains out at close range.

"Armour's in that one," Barbet added, jerking his thumb to another crate behind him. The batarian was already kitted out in his armour but she noted that Shepard wasn't. Instead the human was clad mostly in leather with leather boots, trousers and a jacket that was zipped up to her neck. It wasn't unusual for biotics not to bother with armour, many of them preferred the freedom of movement lighter clothes gave them and instead relied on their barriers for protection.

Kyla's biotics were so weak that it wasn't a luxury she could afford.

She also noticed Shepard's hair, which was being kept out of her eyes in a neat but complicated mass of braids and knots that Kyla considered to be needlessly intricate. She'd always been fascinated by the patterns and designs that humans and quarians could manipulate their hair into. Impractical as it may have seemed, it was certainly pretty – not something many soldiers could boast when kitted out for battle.

Kyla had a feeling that Shepard's long and complicated life had made her a bit unconventional. Or just crazy. Either way, she could still wield a shotgun just fine and launch biotic attacks that made matriarchs quiver and that was all Kyla cared about.

Once they were suited up and ready, Shepard led them out of the cargo hold, which was harder than it sounded considering how crowded it was.

"C'mon," she muttered as she eyed the disorder, "hopefully all this'll be sorted by the time we get back."

Kyla snorted, "How long are we going to be away?" when they broke out into the quiet of the corridor she followed the question up with: "Where are we going anyway?"

"Abandoned freighter," Shepard replied casually, "recently attacked, no life signs."

"What are we hoping to find?" Barbet asked.

Shepard shrugged, "Where it came from, where it was going, what it was carrying, what happened to it. If we're going to learn this system's secrets we need to start questioning everything we find."

"What if its owners come back for it while we're still on board?" Kyla asked.

Another shrug, "Maybe we'll make some new friends."

"Hmph, you're very naïve for being two hundred years old."

"No. Just optimistic."  
"That's what I said."

Shepard turned to give her a look before shaking her head and continuing down the corridor with an unnecessary skip in her step. She was far too chirpy for Kyla's liking; then again, in the short time she'd known Shepard she had noticed that she seemed to switch between childlike optimism and cynical pessimism with startling unpredictability even by human standards. Perhaps it was another symptom of her lengthened lifespan, it was hard to tell.

Liara was lingering by the airlock when they arrived, as always she had a datapad in her hand and was tapping away at it with the diligence of a scholar. Kyla had to look away to keep from rolling her eyes. She'd always hated academic types, particularly ones who were too stuck up to bother with other people; she could probably count on one hand how many times Liara had actually engaged with any other members of the crew since joining the project.

Even now, as she looked up, it was Shepard her eyes fell on and she seemed to ignore Kyla and Barbet completely.

"These are all the scans Ereba's managed to get of the freighter," she said, holding out the datapad. Shepard didn't take it but instead gave it a cursory glance and sharp nod that left Kyla pretty certain she hadn't even read the first line.

"Good. Any luck with those satellites yet?"

"No," Liara replied, "but Ereba and I are working on it."

"Satellites?" Kyla queried. Liara blinked, looking at her like she was surprised she could speak, but it was Shepard who answered.

"There's a network of satellites in orbit around Thessia that's blocking all of our scans. The planet's practically invisible to our sensors."  
"Why the fuck would anybody want to do that?"

Shepard shrugged helplessly and turned back to Liara.

"Keep working on it. Oh! By the way, Barbet here was worried that the bed in our cabin might be too small for us," she threw the batarian a sly smile and then leaned in to whisper something only Liara could hear. Whatever it was, Liara just failed to hide a smile and then cleared her throat. Kyla had to give them credit, it was impressive that Shepard could still make her blush after two centuries.

"Stay in contact," Liara said, "and good luck."

…

The inner airlock of the freighter shunted open with an unhealthy clunk and a rush of cool air greeted them as they stepped into a shadowy cargo bay. It was three times the size of the _Janiri's_ cargo hold and in an even bigger mess.

Kyla could tell it had been piled high with crates, most of which were now gone, making the room feel vast and eerily empty. Some had been left though, overturned or smashed open and strewn across the floor. In amongst them, bodies of all races lay battered and broken, necks twisted, limbs shattered – or missing – faces contorted in pain or rage, a fixed imprint of their last seconds alive. In the dim light, blood stains of various colours could be seen smeared up the walls and across the wreckage.

Shepard visibly shuddered and for a moment Kyla actually thought the old human had lost her nerve, until she commented: "It's cold in here. Power must be low."

"Main power's out," Barbet confirmed from a nearby console, "backup generator's online, emergency power only."

"Hmm," Shepard unholstered her shotgun from her back and rested it casually on her shoulder. There was obviously nothing alive in the room so Kyla assumed she just wanted the comforting feel of a gun in her hands. It was a feeling she understood all too well as she drew her own weapon and let her finger rest gently on the trigger.

"So what do we think?" Shepard asked, "The cargo's gone, was it just a random raid?"

"Maybe," Barbet shrugged, "none of these crates are labelled, can't tell what they were carrying."

"Can we access the computer? Bring up a manifest?"

"Not with main power down, we might be able to do more from the command centre."

Kyla was only half listening; she had wandered over to the wall where the body of a turian man was chained, arms and legs spread wide like a star. He'd been stripped naked and mutilated and – judging by the number of bullet holes in him – used for target practice long after his death.

As she scanned the room she saw other bodies in similar states; some hung from the ceiling by chains, or were impaled on pipes that had been ripped from the walls. Numerous decapitated heads lay amongst the bodies, like they had been tossed about for sport.

This had been more than just a raid and Kyla grimaced as she realised the scene was a grimly familiar one for her.

"What's on your mind?" Shepard had appeared at her side, casting the turian a calm glance before settling her gaze back on Kyla.

Kyla nodded about the room, "Whoever did this had some fun before they left."

"Yeah," Shepard agreed, "these sort of sick games tend to be the work of bandits rather than professional thieves."

Kyla shook her head softly, "Nah. I saw this sort of thing a lot when I was younger, mostly in the Terminus. They wanted this crew humiliated. It screams gang war to me."

Shepard eyed her thoughtfully, her bright eyes were piercing even in the din. Then, without comment, she turned away.

"C'mon, let's get to the command centre."

They found more bodies as they moved through the ship but not many and these ones had been left where they fell. The bulk of the fighting had clearly been in the cargo hold. At one point they encountered a whole section of corridor that had been blown open, leaving a huge hole in the hull with only an unnervingly invisible force field to keep the vacuum of space at bay. Shepard whistled softly as they edged around it.

"This attack wasn't subtle, was it?" she muttered, as though that much wasn't blindingly obvious already.

"What do gangs usually trade in?" she asked when they were near the command centre. Kyla was sure she wasn't asking because she didn't know the answer, but she played along anyway.

"Guns, drugs, slaves. Whatever's expensive, illegal and worth killing for."

"Yeah, I wonder what's worth killing for in this part of space."

The knowledge that there were no life signs aboard the freighter did surprisingly little to calm Kyla's nerves as they entered the shadowy command centre. Considering the size of the ship, this room was claustrophobically small; it was circular with a round console in the middle and others lining the wall. There was only room for around eight people and the chairs from the middle console couldn't be pushed back without hitting the chairs from the outside consoles. Most of those chairs looked to have been hurriedly vacated by the crew and were in disarray, adding to the cramped quarters. There were no windows here and the dull red of the backup lighting forced them to squint to make out anything in detail.

Shepard's opinion of the room was evident in the way she huffed irritably as she stepped inside, ducking under some loose wiring that hung down from the ceiling. She kicked a chair out of her way and scowled as she brushed some food packets off one of the consoles.

"Looks like they still have fast food in this part of the galaxy," she muttered before hitting a few of the controls. She seemed to have discarded her previous cheeriness quickly enough and reverted back to her irritable side. Kyla was quite glad, she found irritable people much easier to relate to.

Shepard was frowning down at the interface, trying to decipher whatever was on the screen, which was cracked, scratched and covered in smudgy fingerprints. Looking around, Kyla saw that most of the consoles were in similar condition.

"Do you reckon this ship's been around since the war?" she asked critically.

"Some of it," Shepard agreed, looks like it's several ships that have been welded together. This command centre looks salarian, but the cargo bay was like the old human ships. The computer seems to be running on old asari software."

Kyla was tempted to point out that two hundred years was not 'old' by asari standards but decided on balance that it was probably better to keep her mouth shut.

"The crew weren't big on organisation," she muttered with a frown, "I'm trying to find a cargo manifest but- ah, here we go," she leaned forward to squint at the screen, "seven-hundred-and-fifty crates loaded on board containing…" she trained off slightly before continuing, "refined element zero."

Kyla looked at Barbet, "So they _are_ mining it… weird."

Barbet frowned, "Why weird? They'll need eezo to run their ships, it makes sense to mine it when you've got a prime source like Thessia on your doorstep."

"Yeah, but it makes you wonder why no one here has tried selling it to anyone outside asari space. There's more than enough eezo on Thessia to supply the whole galaxy and judging by the state of this freighter, it looks like they could use a decent trade deal to get some supplies."

Shepard stopped tapping at the console and looked thoughtful for a moment, "Rationing the eezo is how the HTA keeps control; they wouldn't want a steady supply coming in from asari space."

"What exactly are you suggesting?"

She shook her head, "I don't know. But I know they're interfering here somehow, we just need to find out what they're up to."

" _Jules,_ " Liara's voice crackled over the comm, the only one of the crew who called Shepard by her first name, " _is everything alright? You haven't reported in yet."_

"Needy, isn't she?" Kyla muttered. Barbet shot her a look.

Shepard either hadn't heard or chose to ignore the comment as she activated her omni-tool, "We're fine. It looks like this freighter was shipping eezo from Thessia, the crew were slaughtered and the cargo taken."

There was a pause, _"Interesting. Do you know where the ship was headed_?"

Shepard checked the screen, "Piares."

" _We've detected a large population there, the planet isn't habitable but there's a network of domed cities that seem to have been built on the ruins of the old ones. There's more people living there now than there ever was before the war."_

"How many?"

" _Nearly two-point-five-billion. There are some planetary defences as well, might be difficult to get past them even with the stealth drive. Jules, wait a minute,"_ there was a moment of indecipherable muttering as Liara seemed to quickly discuss something with Ereba, " _Jules, there's a ship approaching, heading straight for you. Might be whoever was meant to get the eezo."_

"We should get out of here," Barbet suggested.

"No," Shepard said decisively. She couldn't possibly have thought up a plan in the split second she'd had to think about it so Kyla could only assume her certainty was a show, the kind of false confidence that all leaders learned to display, "Liara, I'm sending a copy of all this ship's files to the _Janiri,_ I want you see if there's anything in there about Thessia. We'll stay on board, I'm betting they're going to take the freighter back to Piares and I don't want to lose it while we try to get past their defences. Stay out of sight and follow us at a distance."

" _Are you sure?"_

"Do you need me to answer that?"

" _No. Good luck Jules."_

As the call shut off, Barbet unholstered his rifle, "We probably don't have long," he stated, "what are we going to do?"

"What any self-respecting stowaway would do," Shepard told him with a smile, as she calmly shut down the console and stood, "hide."


	21. Staying Hidden

_Chapter Twenty-one – Staying Hidden_

Egret had been born after the war had ended. She had been raised on Earth, surrounded by more aliens than asari and a mismatched culture that favoured no one race more than the others. As a result, she had inherited none of the traits that asari from before the war seemed to display. The elegance, the patience, the bizarre ability _not_ to fidget when waiting for something to happen.

It saddened her sometimes – that she seemed unable to imitate the people she most admired – but perhaps the thing she found most perplexing about older asari was how they managed to stay so outwardly calm in stressful situations.

Keeping a cool head was one thing but as the crew stood in the computer room and watched the unknown ship approach the freighter on the monitors, Egret couldn't stop herself from frowning in concern, or shifting her weight restlessly.

Liara, on the other hand, stood perfectly still with her arms folded, her face betraying no emotion. Her stance was mirrored by several of the others while those of Egret's generation exchanged worried looks, chewed on their nails and generally fidgeted in a very un-asari-like manner.

The tense silence continued as the ship slowly moved alongside the freighter before latching on to the airlock. Liara calmly moved forward to one of the consoles and activated the comm.

"Jules, they've docked. They've scanned the ship for life signs, they'll know you're on board."

" _Understood,"_ came Shepard's reply, _"you know what to do."_

"Stay safe," Liara said before shutting off the call and turning to the room. She'd called together all the analysts with Egret taking the place of one of those who'd been left behind at the HTA prison. Their job was to sift through all the scanner data that the ship collected and pick out anything relevant. A computer could technically do the job of course but a team of actual people had always been found to be more effective.

"I realise the computer systems aren't entirely up and running yet," Liara began, "but I want every ship within range scanned to see what cargo they're carrying and I want their courses extrapolated so we know where they came from and where they're headed. We need to start building up a picture of what's going on in this system," there was a series of murmurs and nods that Liara seemed to accept and the crew began to disperse around the room, leaving Egret wondering exactly where she should start.

She soon had other things to worry about however as she noticed that Liara was making a beeline for her. She felt herself unconsciously straighten up as the older asari approached, her face still unreadable.

"Come with me," she said simply as she reached her, "I need your help."

Without even slowing in her stride, Liara continued past her, apparently expecting Egret to follow. For a second Egret just blinked, then found herself hurrying to catch up. Liara led her to a pair of consoles in the far corner of the room, reams of code were scrolling along the screens as the computers finished their setup procedures – the ones that really should have been completed before the ship left dock.

Liara sat at one of them, tapping at the controls until the screen changed to a series of downloaded files. Egret found herself leaning in over Liara's shoulder, curiosity outweighing her natural awkwardness as she squinted at the screen.

"Jul- Shepard has sent us all of the freighter's logs," Liara explained, as though sensing the question on Egret's tongue, "she wants us to go through them for anything that might be useful. Sit down," she added, nodding to the chair next to her. Egret did as she was told.

"Some of the files are encrypted," Liara continued, "with your computer skills I thought you might be able to help."

"Right," Egret nodded. She _was_ good at cracking encryptions, but that didn't make her any more confident about sitting next to Doctor Liara T'Soni. You would think that months of training alongside her might have made Egret get over being awestruck; but as she cleared her throat and tried to remember how it was she usually sat, she realised she was still as nervous and uncomfortable as she had been the first time they met. Probably more so, actually, since Liara had rarely done much socialising with the rest of the crew and had therefore remained something of an enigma.

She tried to put it out of her mind and focussed instead on the screen in front of her, she brought up the files and then frowned when the computer responded with a string of errors, "Hm," she muttered, "half the software is still installing."

"Yes," Liara agreed, "we'll just have to work around it. I hope you have the patience of a matriarch."

Egret sighed heavily, "I don't even have the patience of an asari."

The comment slipped thoughtlessly out of her mouth before she could catch it and she was surprised when she heard Liara chuckle. She turned to see the doctor was smiling at her, "Neither have I. It might be a long few hours for the two of us."

Egret smiled in return and turned back to her screen, "What are we hoping to find?"

"Information about the eezo mining on Thessia," Liara replied, "and who they were shipping it to."

"Is there likely to be anything about Thessia? If they've gone to the trouble of building a whole satellite network just to stop us scanning the planet, are they really going to let cargo freighters fly around with information on them?"

"Perhaps not," Liara admitted, "but there might be something, and they _are_ heavily encrypted, more so than I'd expect. I hope you enjoy a challenge."

Egret shrugged, "I've cracked harder codes, just takes an eye for detail and a dash of human stubbornness."

Liara paused, " _Human_ stubbornness?"

Egret felt herself flush, "My father's joke," she explained, "he used to say I was more human than asari, picked that up from him I guess."

"Your father was human?"

"Yes. He raised me after my mother died. I outlived him too, of course. He died about twenty years ago," she was aware that she was dangerously close to babbling and decided to stop before she relayed any more of her life story. But apparently Liara was interested.

"Do you remember your mother?"

"Oh yes!" Egret agreed, more enthusiastically than she had planned, "She used to tell me stories when I was very little, mostly about you and Shepard," she flinched at her own words and hurriedly bit her lip before risking a glance at Liara to see her reaction. She was staring at her screen, her face unreadable.

"I… see," she replied.

"She lived through the war," Egret explained hurriedly. For some reason, when she was around Liara, she felt like she should be apologetic for having her as a childhood hero. Perhaps it was because the _real_ Liara had turned out to be so different from the idea she had conjured up, "she was always talking about the crew of the Normandy and how they saved everyone, _you_ in particular. Lots of young asari grow up with you as a sort of… role model."

Liara was still staring at her screen but a soft, almost sad smile seemed to flicker at her lips, "I… suppose I should be flattered."

The silence that fell after that was suddenly uncomfortable. Egret endured it for a while, trying to concentrate on her work until eventually she couldn't hold her tongue any longer, "She was on Thessia when the reapers attacked," she blurted out and Liara looked up at her blankly for a moment.

"Your mother?"

"Yes. She got out in the evacuation."

Liara seemed to think about that for a moment, "She was lucky, not many got out. The reapers attacked so quickly and there were no plans in place. The matriarchs were arrogant enough to think it would never happen. The reapers didn't even stop to enslave us like they did on other home worlds. They just levelled every city, bombarded every continent and then left. It was like they were determined to show us exactly how insignificant we were," a touch of bitterness had crept into Liara's voice and Egret saw her hand was clenched against her console. She seemed to make a conscious effort to relax herself before she continued, "most of the evacuation ships were destroyed before they even got out of the system. I remember watching it happen from the Normandy's war room. Our stealth drive was online and there was nothing we could have done anyway but still, to just stand there and watch…"

Egret was aware that her muscles had tensed. Behind them the room was full of the noise and bustle of the other analysts but it seemed a world away from this little corner. She felt the sudden pressure of having to say the right thing and having to say it soon before the conversation petered out.

"What did you do?" she asked.

Liara shrugged softly, "Got angry. Shouted at Javik. Ignored everyone else and locked myself away in my cabin. Jules found me there and…" she trailed off, frowning at some unspoken memory before seeming to shake herself out of it, "anyway," she said, looking Egret in the eye, "your mother was lucky."

"In some ways," Egret agreed, "they took her to the Citadel, she was still there when the reapers attacked it and when the Crucible fired. They dragged her out of the wreckage afterwards."

Liara was staring at her now, "Even fewer people made it out of the Citadel alive. She survived a lot."

"Yes. Only to get sick and die a few decades later."

Liara studied her quietly, "I'm sorry."

Egret smiled. Then a thought occurred to her. Liara hadn't opened up this much – or at all – since she'd joined the project. Egret had a-million-and-one questions she had wanted to ask since she had first met Liara and had soon been discouraged from asking any of them when it became apparent that Liara wasn't really the chatty kind. Now she felt like she had an opportunity.

" _Your_ mother died when you were quite young, didn't she?"

Liara was back to looking at her screen now and her face didn't flicker, "I was a little older than you," she replied, "I didn't need her to look after me anymore."

Egret hesitated, "There's a lot of stories about her, rumours really, no one can seem to agree on what actually happened to her. The Crucible destroyed all the records and I think the truth has been forgotten in amongst the legends."

For a moment Liara didn't respond, still studying her console, "Good," she decided eventually, "if she were remembered accurately, it would not be in a good light."

"Can I ask? How _did_ she die? Really?"

"Shepard killed her," Liara responded, without hesitation.

Egret felt her eyes widen and her jaw drop and when Liara looked up and saw her reaction, she sighed heavily, "It's a long story."

Egret might have tried to press further, but at that moment Ereba contacted Liara's omni-tool.

" _Doctor T'Soni? The freighter's powered up its engines, they're moving away."_

"Follow them," Liara told her decisively, "let's see where they end up."

…

Down in the depths of the freighter's lower decks, amidst walkways and service ducts, the walls of the ship began to vibrate and a series of unhealthy clunks and groans echoed through the metal interior. Concealed inside one of the service ducts, Jules hummed softly.

"Sounds like they've got the engines online," she muttered quietly.

"Sounds like they could blow up at any minute," Kyla added – less quietly.

"Shh," Jules prompted gently, she was on her stomach in the low duct, peering out through the grate into the corridor beyond. The boarding party who had come aboard the freighter had quickly realised that the life signs they were reading were not from any survivors and there were now several groups hunting them through the lower levels.

They'd had a few close calls but ultimately they hadn't been spotted yet. From the few glimpses they'd had of their pursuers, they looked like mercenaries – or thugs – which fitted with Kyla's gang war theory. Jules found it worrying. If people here were already killing each other over eezo she could only imagine what would happen if the rest of the galaxy got their hands on Thessia.

She had to admit, the asari of old had a damn good reason for keeping such tight control of their own power.

"Shepard," Kyla hissed impatiently, "how much longer are we going to keep playing hide-and-seek in these damn tunnels like a bunch of duct rats?"

"Duct rats?" Barbet questioned from behind her.

"Pre-war joke," Jules told him, "now be quiet, the pair of you."

She was sure she could hear footsteps, deliberately slow and light like someone was _trying_ to make no sound as they moved. She strained her hearing and heard her own pulse quickening by her eardrums.

"I still don't understand why we're not just fighting them," Kyla grumbled, making Jules close her eyes briefly.

"They can't tell us anything if they're dead."

"Then why don't we talk to them?" Barbet asked.

"Because they might shoot us," Jules replied, "now _please._ Stop. Talking."

Through the grate she saw a shadow fall across the end of the corridor, it paused and then slowly began to move closer. Jules eased herself carefully away from the grate and fully into the shadows of the duct. She pulled herself up into a sitting position and waited. The soft sound of boots treading carefully on the metal grating got closer.

There was a slight intake of breath from Kyla, like she was going to speak and Jules moved swiftly, clamping a firm hand across her mouth. The action startled the asari and her eyes widened like she was going to protest until Jules threw her a warning glare.

They waited in silence as the shadow passed by and when Jules was sure the footsteps had faded, she released Kyla from the death grip she had her in.

"Dammit Shepard!" she cursed as she pulled away and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, "I was only breathing!"

"Then either stop or do it more quietly," Jules whispered, "either's fine with me."

Kyla scrunched up her face – not unlike a displeased two-year-old – but said nothing.

Jules edged back towards the grate, listened carefully for a while and when she was satisfied she gently lifted the grate free and moved it aside. She tentatively stuck her head out, looked both ways down the corridor and finally wriggled out of the duct, stretching her shoulders as she stood up fully.

Kyla followed her, grumbling lightly as she struggled out of the tight space and Barbet brought up the rear, emerging with more elegance than either of them had managed.

"Where to now?" he asked as he carefully replaced the grate.

"If we can stay hidden until they reach wherever it is they're going," Jules said, "then we can hopefully sneak out when they lower the landing ramp. But we'll have to be ready."

"Which means back to the cargo bay," Kyla sighed, "how's your sense of direction?"

Jules grinned, "This way."

The truth was, they'd been turned around so many times in those maintenance ducts that Jules didn't have a clue which way the cargo bay was. But looking confidant when you didn't have a clue was a skill all commanders needed. Even those who refused to be _called_ commanders.

She led them away from the direction their pursuer had gone, sticking close to the wall and keeping her ears open. Behind her, Kyla was flexing her shoulders.

"Could they have made those ducts any more cramped?" she muttered, "Must have stripped them out of a salarian ship. I've always said those stick-insects are too skinny."

"I believe they're amphibian," Jules muttered dryly. Part of her was wishing she'd brought Liara instead of Kyla.

"My mother dated a few salarians you know," Kyla added matter-of-factly, "well, maybe _dated_ is an overstatement. She said they were good for a bit of rough-and-tumble."

"Who'd have thought?" Barbet muttered, a trace of humour in his voice that Kyla seemed not to pick up on.

"Never saw the attraction myself," she continued, "but then mother was into aliens, I swear there were some days she had a whole fucking menagerie up there with her. I've never understood why so many asari go for other races. We're the most attractive race in the galaxy, why the hell would you want an alien in bed with you?"

Both Jules and Barbet stopped simultaneously to frown at her. She seemed to suddenly realise she'd been talking out loud and chuckled awkwardly, "Er, no offence, guys."

Jules exchanged a look with Barbet before shaking her head and continuing.

They reached the end of the corridor and found themselves at a junction, "Left or right?" Kyla muttered, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Left," Jules replied.

"You seem very sure."

"I am."

"Shh!" Barbet hissed suddenly, holding out his hand to stop them. The three of them tensed and listened and Jules heard what he had: distant voices coming from the left, and getting closer.

"C'mon!" Jules pulled the two of them back into the shadows of the corridor until they reached a narrow alcove where they crouched.

"If they come this way…" Barbet began.

"We'll deal with it," Jules replied. As the voices got closer it sounded like there were only two of them.

"What makes you so sure they're intruders?" a woman was demanding loudly – possibly an asari.

"They're not survivors," a man – definitely human – replied, "otherwise why would they be hiding?"

"There were _no_ ships in the area, Connor. Whoever attacked was already long gone," two figures emerged at the junction where the corridors intersected and stopped to face each other. Jules saw that it _was_ an asari and she had stopped with her hands on her hips.

"So maybe they left someone behind!" the human, Connor, snapped back.

"What for?"

"I don't know Paige! You know what the Thessian Order are like, _nothing_ they do seems to make sense."

"And what makes you think it was the Order who attacked the freighter?"

"Why? You think they wouldn't?"

"I think that if they'd found out we were stealing eezo from them, we'd _all_ be dead! You saw the state of the bodies in the cargo bay!" she gestured wildly down the corridor with her arm, "The Order wasn't responsible for that, they do things quickly and cleanly. And if it _wasn't_ them, well, that only leaves one other person doesn't it?"

Connor paused, Jules could only see half of his face in the dim light but he looked like he wanted to argue. He also looked like he knew Paige was right, and that seemed to make him uncomfortable. Paige waited a moment for her words to sink in and then turned and began to walk away from him.

"Hey, where are you going?" he asked.

"To the cargo bay, those bodies should be given a bit of dignity before we land."

"But the intruders-"

"There _are_ no intruders!" she snapped, turning on him angrily, "Our equipment is ancient, it's probably just throwing up false readings! Now are you coming or not?"

He hesitated briefly, then nodded and followed her out of sight. Jules and the others waited until their footsteps disappeared then Kyla breathed out slowly.

"They're going to the cargo bay," she said softly.

"Yes," Jules agreed.

"They're going the opposite way to the way you were going to go."

"Yes, _thank you,_ Kyla," Jules threw her a look before edging out of their hiding place and gesturing for the others to follow.

"Did I hear right?" Barbet asked as they reached the end of the corridor and turned right, "Did she say the _Thessian Order_?"

"Doesn't sound at all creepy or sinister does it?" Kyla muttered grimly, adjusting her grip on her shotgun as though readying herself for trouble.

Jules didn't comment. She was actually more interested in this 'other person' the asari had eluded to who – from Connor's reaction – was apparently worse. She resisted a heavy sigh, it seemed they'd fallen out of one political mess and right into another one.

They snuck silently through the corridors, following the distant echo of footsteps until they came to a part of the ship they recognised.

"The cargo bay's just down there, isn't it?" Barbet asked, pointing to a set of double doors. Jules nodded and led them over. The doors were standing open and they slipped quietly inside.

They ducked behind a few overturned crates and peered out. Connor and Paige were in the middle of the room, most of the bodies had been pulled down from the chains or walls that they were hanging from and were now lying neatly side-by-side. Jules wouldn't really have called it dignified – not considering how many of them were missing limbs – but it was better than the sight that had first greeted them when they'd entered the ship.

"Are we seriously just going to wait until they land and then sneak out?" Kyla muttered, "Then what?"

"We figure out where we are," Jules answered, "and find out what we can. Liara's tracking the freighter, she'll be able to get us out if anything goes wrong."

Kyla snorted, "Providing she looks up from her datapad long enough to remember that people are more important than work."

Jules frowned softly and looked at her, she noticed that Barbet's three good eyes were closed and he was shaking his head, like an older brother embarrassed by his little sister, "Have you got some sort of problem with Liara?" she asked Kyla calmly. It wasn't the first time she'd picked up on the bitterness in Kyla's voice when Liara's name came up.

"Er…" Kyla's plum eyes flinched guilty and she sighed, "I just don't like her type, privileged, academic, more bothered about theories and knowledge than actual people. It's nothing personal."

"You sure about that?" Jules pressed, "You didn't know her from before the war or anything?" after the war, Liara's role as the Shadow Broker had become more widely known and she had rapidly picked up new enemies. Over the years they had encountered and killed several of them and had now outlived most of the others. But there was always the chance there were some left, lurking in the shadows, and Jules was always aware of it.

Kyla just scoffed, "I don't think me and her moved in the same circles."

The ship rocked slightly, cutting the conversation short as the walls juddered, "Feels like we've entered the atmosphere," Barbet muttered.

…

Liara and Egret hadn't made much progress on the encryption when Ereba contacted Liara again, _"Doctor T'Soni,"_ she began, an ominous quiver in her voice, _"you might want to come up here."_

Liara told Egret to carry on without her and then headed for the cockpit. She didn't know how, but without Jules on board everyone seemed to consider her to be in command. She was sure that had never been officially decided but it surprised her more that she had willingly stepped into the role without really thinking about it.

Now the crew was turning to her for their orders without question. She thought about what Egret had said, about her being an asari role model; perhaps that's why they were so willing to follow her. She decided it was better not to dwell on it and shook the thought off with a shudder.

When she arrived at the cockpit, she was greeted by the sight of Piares, dominating the view through the windows. It had been a long time since she had seen the planet, named – perhaps appropriately – for the asari goddess of death.

Piares' atmosphere was toxic, a swirling mass of orange and brown cloud through which she could just catch glimpses of the surface. Back before the war, there had been nothing but a few mining colonies down there; she could see the skeletons of the old domed settlements but she could also see new, larger ones built off from them, vast domed cities that looked to be bustling with life.

The thing of more immediate concern to her, however, was the mismatched fleet of ships and satellites that was standing between them and the surface.

"Goddess," she breathed softly, "that's quite the defence network."

Ereba hummed in agreement, "The freighter passed through it a few minutes ago."

"Can you tell where they landed?"

She shook her head, "The satellites are similar to the ones in orbit around Thessia, nowhere near as advanced but enough to keep me from tracking specific ships once they've passed through."

"Can the stealth drive get us through without being detected?"

"I think so," Ereba agreed, "but somehow I think they'll notice if we actually touch down on one of their landing pads. They seem to have very strict protocols for who gets through and who doesn't. If they find out a ship's managed to pass through their defences undetected, there could be a lot of awkward questions."

Liara frowned thoughtfully, "Can you get a scan of the surface?"

"Only a basic one," Ereba said, bringing up the scans she had managed to take. They weren't much better than the long range ones they'd taken but there was something that caught Liara's eye.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing to one of the domes that seemed to have no life signs in it.

Ereba shrugged, "Abandoned section maybe? I can't tell if it's habitable."

Liara weighed up their options for a moment and quickly came to the conclusion that it was their best bet, "Take us down," she decided.

…

Jules, Kyla and Barbet had slowly edged around the perimeter of the cargo bay until they were near the ramp. They had definitely landed and the bay had filled with the other members of the boarding party, the landing ramp was lowered and the bay was flooded with light. The babble of hundreds of voices reached Jules' ears and she peered out to see a bustling docking port and beyond it, a vast city filled with people.

A wide main street was lined with shops, cafes and bars and a constantly moving crowd filled it like a choppy, multi-coloured sea. Their voices echoed off the high dome, intensifying the noise as the obviously thriving settlement bustled by.

"Well," Kyla muttered, blinking against the light, "I wasn't expecting that."

"Cover up the bodies," Connor was saying to his crew, Jules got the sense that he was in command, "we need to get them back to the base."

Jules cursed softly, "I was kinda hoping we were going to _land_ at their base."

"What are we going to do now?" Barbet asked, "It's going to be hard to sneak out without being noticed."

Jules looked at the landing ramp, it seemed they'd had backup waiting for them at the docking port and there were several thugs standing guard there. She really wanted to learn more about what was going on here before trying to escape.

"I'll distract them," she decided, "you two make a run for it. Make contact with the _Janiri_ and tell them what's going on. I'll be in touch when I can."

"Wait, hang on!" Kyla exclaimed, grabbing her elbow before she could move, " _How_ are you going to distract them?"

"By getting captured." she replied simply, "Can you think of a better way to find out where their base is?"

Kyla blinked, "They're right about you, aren't they? Two hundred years of living has sent you round the fucking bend!"

"Is that a good idea?" Barbet added, more diplomatically, "Like you said, they might shoot you."

She threw him a careless grin, "I've died before. And I need to get information out of them, so get ready."

She didn't give them another chance to protest before she stood and marched out into the docking bay. It took a moment for anyone to notice her, even as she made a beeline for Connor. He only saw her at the last second before she reached him, briefly glancing over his shoulder before suddenly recoiling at the sight of her and reaching for his rifle. He lit up with biotics and a barrier sprang up around him.

"What the- who the hell are you?" his exclamation drew the attention of the others and she soon had several thugs on her. She allowed herself to be grabbed and pushed to her knees as her weapons were stripped from her.

"Careful with that," she told a turian who ripped her shotgun from its holster, "it was a present from a friend, he'll be very annoyed if I damage it."

"Who are you?" Connor demanded again, she had a thug either side of her now and gun pointed at the back of her head, she was considering suitable responses when Paige appeared around Connor's shoulder and her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Goddess," she breathed, "that's not possible."

Connor looked at her, "Do you know her?"

"Know her?" she repeated, gazing at him incredulously, "That's Commander Shepard."

…

The _Janiri_ descended steadily through the atmosphere towards the abandoned dome. The closer they got, the less inspiring it looked. It was in complete darkness and Liara could see cracks and holes in the exterior, like it had been victim of an orbital bombardment.

"I think this is one of the original settlements," Ereba mused softly, "it must have been attacked by the reapers."

"Yes," Liara agreed, leaning over Ereba's shoulder to get a better look, "is there breathable air in there?"

"No. But I can reach one of the landing pads."

"Set us down, and tell Egret and Maia to suit up."

…

"Don't talk daft," Connor was looking at Paige like she had gone mad. Every one of Jules' muscles had tensed as she waited to see what would happen next. Tevos' order of 'don't tell anyone who you are' already seemed to be going out the window, "if Shepard was alive today she'd be over two hundred years old."

"I know," Paige agreed, "but her face was _everywhere_ during the war, I watched interviews with her, saw news footage of her fighting the reapers, trust me, it's not a face I'm ever going to forget."

"So this is someone who looks like her."

"Oh c'mon Connor!" she snapped, "How many humans look like _her?"_

Jules didn't know whether that was a compliment or not so she just frowned and stayed quiet. Connor blinked at the asari, clearly trying to think of some kind of answer.

"This can't be Shepard," he said again, making Paige huff impatiently and bring up her omni-tool. She did a scan and paused, before laughing in amazement.

"Well, whoever she is, the boss is going to want to see her. Look at this," she showed Connor the scans and he frowned sharply.

"Are those… implants? I've never seen anything like them?"

"If you're thinking of cutting me open to profit from them, I should warn you what happened to the last person who tried," Jules spoke up, smiling pleasantly.

Connor's head snapped round to glare at her but Paige was still looking at the scans, "It gets weirder," she muttered, "look at this," she pointed something out to him, "that's a _biotic_ implant."

For some reason, this made Connor's frown deepen. Frankly, of all of her implants, Jules would have thought her biotic one was the least surprising. Apparently Connor disagreed.

"Can't be, no one has biotic implants anymore, not on this side of the relay anyway."

"What?" it was Jules' turn to frown now, "No one in asari space has a biotic implant? But _you_ have biotics, I saw them, how can you use them without an implant?" she eyed the barrier that was still glowing softly around him. She knew that asari could use their biotics without an implant but no other races could, their bodies just weren't designed that way.

Connor breathed in a laugh and moved over to crouch in front of her. She noticed suddenly how young he was, perhaps not even twenty though he acted older. He smelled unexpectedly of soap and aftershave and his pale eyes were watery as he studied her curiously, "You really _aren't_ from this side of the relay, are you? What are you doing here?"

She held his gaze as she tried to think of what to say, the truth was too long and complicated to go through with a gun pointed at her and nothing else occurred to her so she stayed silent. Eventually Connor just snorted and stood, "Bring her back to the base," he decided, "the boss will get answers out of her. And check the rest of the ship, see if there's any more of them."

Two hands grabbed her beneath her shoulders and she was hauled to her feet and dragged towards the exit. She cast a glace towards the crates where she had left Kyla and Barbet and thankfully saw no sign of them. At least _they_ had managed to escape and the rest of the crew would find them soon enough.

She was sure everything would be fine.


	22. Old Ghosts

_Chapter Twenty-two – Old Ghosts_

Liara wasn't a fan of environmental suits. As she clamped the helmet shut, she could feel the closeness of the glass barely an inch from her face and she took a deep, steadying breath of the filtered air that was now being fed to her through the suit's systems.

It was ironic really, that a suit specifically designed to keep her breathing made her feel like she was being suffocated. As always, she pushed the discomfort to the back of her mind, focusing instead on how the visor limited her peripheral vison, and how much that irked her. She found that generally, it was better to be annoyed than anxious.

She remembered suiting up for missions on the Normandy. The initial feelings of apprehension could build up to unbearable levels, but they were always wiped away in an instant once the action started and instinct kicked in. Jules had once told her that the pre-mission nerves never go away, you just learn to embrace them.

With that in mind, she grabbed her gear and headed for the airlock. She found Maia and Egret waiting for her there, suited up and ready. Maia was diligently checking her sniper rifle while Egret paced back and forth in the small space. She seemed restless but not nervous, which was probably a good thing. In fact she looked more comfortable here than she had when they were seated at the consoles together.

"Did you make any progress on the encryption?" Liara asked as she stepped inside and closed the inner door. Egret blinked at her through her visor, probably wondering what answer Liara wanted.

"A little," she said, "should only take a few more hours work."

"Good," Liara smiled, unsure if Egret could actually see it through the helmet, "it's not a priority, we'll finish it when we get back," she turned to Maia, "ready?" the matriarch gave an affirmative nod and Liara opened the outer airlock.

The sight that greeted them was a grim one. The landing pad had clearly been out of use for decades, perhaps centuries; Liara switched on her torch and found the light reflected back to her off a heavy, swirling fog. Piares' thick atmosphere was leaking into the dome through the breaches they had seen from the ship and a mournful chorus of howls filled the room as the high winds whistled through the cracks.

"Watch your footing," Liara advised as she jumped down from the airlock with the other two close behind her. She had about ten feet of good visibility but beyond that, shapes were eerily distorted by the orange fog, remaining hidden before coming suddenly into focus.

There was very little chance of them finding anything alive here but she was still cautious as she led her team along a short corridor and into the main dome. Here, the wind roared high above them, making the whole dome shudder with every gust.

She shone the torch onto overturned chairs and tables along with a smashed drinks machine and there was cutlery scattered across the floor, "Looks like a cafeteria of some kind," Liara mused. Her foot touched something and she stopped, directing her torch downwards. For a split second she froze before crouching to get a better look.

"Goddess," she breathed softly. It was a skeleton, but it was more metal than bone. She could make out a spinal column, thickened up with wires and implants and hands that had been augmented with similar tech. A short distance away a skull lay on its side, baring its ugly metal teeth as it stared at her through dead, round disks that would once have glowed blue.

"What is it?" Egret had appeared beside her, peering curiously over her shoulder.

"I… think it's what's left of a husk," Liara replied, grimacing slightly. The sight brought back unpleasant memories.

"A human?" Egret queried, "Corrupted by the reapers?"

"Yes," Liara agreed. The reaper tech was completely inert and anything organic had rotted away long ago but it was still unmistakable.

"Oh my god," Egret muttered, showing her human side again, "I've read about them of course but I've never… they were _horrible_."

"Yes," Liara said again.

"And, if memory serves," they both looked up at Maia's voice and saw the matriarch gazing down at another body a few feet away, "this was one of the corrupted asari."

They moved over to join her and Liara heard Egret make a sharp intake of breath. The creature was as grotesque as Liara remembered, its every limb elongated, its hands and feet tipped with metal talons, the ugly, sinister smile carved onto its face, abominated by the tubes and circuits that snaked through its skull. She still had nightmares about them sometimes, waking with their shrieks echoing through her mind.

"The crew of the Normandy called them 'banshees'," she muttered, her mouth suddenly dry. Her suit suddenly felt even more tight and restrictive and she'd have killed for some fresh air.

"Banshees?" Maia repeated.

"Monsters from Earth mythology. Hideous female spirits with blood-curdling screams. They were considered an omen for death."

Maia cocked her head, "An appropriate analogy, I suppose."

" _That_ used to be an asari?" Egret asked, she was staring at the creature in mild horror that even her visor didn't manage to mask.

"I hope not, Egret, "Maia replied, "I hope the asari died the moment she was corrupted."

Knowing the cruelty of the reapers, Liara doubted that were true but she said nothing. She could easily have driven herself mad during the war, wondering if every husk she killed contained a fully aware human, silently screaming to be let out.

"This dome must have been left completely untouched since the war," she said to change the subject.

"Perhaps not completely," Egret stepped over the banshee and headed for some computer consoles, or at least the empty shells that had once been consoles, "looks like a lot of the tech has been stripped out. They must have taken whatever was useful but have never actually reclaimed this section."

"Do a full scan," Liara instructed her, "see if you can find any way from here to the inhabited domes, it looked like they were all connected from orbit," as Egret and Maia went to it, Liara contacted Ereba.

" _What have you found?"_ the pilot asked, Liara eyed the reaper corpses for a moment.

"Not much," she replied, "we're going to see if we can reach the other domes, any word from Shepard or the others?"

" _Not yet. I'll contact you as soon as I hear anything."_

…

Kyla and Barbet lingered in the docking port, trying not to look too conspicuous as they leaned against a railing that overlooked the city below.

They had slipped seamlessly out of the freighter while the guards were distracted but rather than bolting for the nearest exist, they had blended into the busy port and waited, keeping half an eye on the freighter where Shepard was still being held at gun point. Hopefully. The alternative was that the thugs had already shot her and their mission into asari space had got off to a really shit start.

Kyla tried not to think about how she would explain that one to Liara as she studied the streets below her.

At first sight the city looked like any other city, filled with ordinary people going about their ordinary lives. Some were dressed in smart, business-type clothes while others were in more casual – and even quite fashionable – dress.

It seemed to be lunch time and there were clusters of people eating takeout food while seated on benches or low walls surrounding obscure metal sculptures. They laughed and chatted while others rushed by around them. The shops were full and thriving and colourful adverts flashed up on screens high above the street.

Kyla was probably gawping as she stared at it all. She had a habit of gawping when something surprised her and all this was _defiantly_ surprising her. She had expected asari space to be all rags, second-hand weapons and food rations, she hadn't expected a booming city.

When you looked closer though, it was obvious this place had been built from spare parts. Colourful as it was, there was nothing new or shiny here and there was a definite sense that it had been cobbled together. The buildings all stood at different heights, leaning haphazardly against each other and the metal that bolted them together was all of different colours and qualities.

There was something else off too. The people here may have all seemed normal and happy but when she looked closer she saw a lot of them were dressed in combat gear. _Light_ combat gear, the kind biotics wore that was subtle enough to blend in. A lot of the people here were also armed, whether it be with pistols, combat knifes or even rifles.

Some of them were obviously guards patrolling the streets, their eyes sharp and suspicious; others looked like ordinary people who for some reason felt they needed a gun on them to get through their day. Either way, there were _far_ too many weapons on show for this to be as happy a city as it looked. It reminded her eerily of Omega. Only Omega hadn't bothered to try and hide its nature.

"We seem to blend right in," Barbet muttered, as though reading her thoughts. He was eyeing the amount of weaponry with the same unease as she was and kept casting his eyes around the docking port where there were even more armed guards.

"Yeah," she agreed, "I've got to admit, I didn't think we'd find anything this advanced this side of the relay."

Barbet frowned at her, "It's been two hundred years since the war, they've had as much time to rebuild as we have."

"Maybe. But this is asari space. Two hundred years is nothing."

Barbet nudged her with his elbow and she glanced around to see movement over by the freighter. Past the inordinate number of guards stationed around the landing ramp, she could see Shepard being marched outside, surrounded on all sides.

No one in the port batted an eyelid, apparently prisoners being held at gunpoint was not an unusual sight around here. She was being led away from them, they waited until she and her escort disappeared around a corner and then began heading in the same direction.

The number of guards around her made keeping track of her easy even in the crowd and they were soon out of the docking port and into the throng of the streets. Even here the guards drew little notice and no one spared Shepard so much as a glance.

They didn't stay on the main streets for long, instead veering off down a long set of steps that would have been easy to miss without knowing they were there. Kyla and Barbet followed and found themselves in a network of narrower, murkier streets running below the main ones. The noise from the crowds above was muffled down here as closer sounds echoed eerily off the enclosed walls.

This was more like what Kyla had expected, dank and dingy. There were fewer people down here and she and Barbet kept as much distance from the guards as they could without losing them. Figures lurked in doorways or huddled together in alcoves and Kyla couldn't shake the feeling that at any minute they might cross an invisible boundary and end up somewhere they weren't welcome.

As they got deeper into the bowels of the city the streets became even narrower and more labyrinthine until they lost sight of the guards and had to follow the sound of their footsteps instead. Eventually, Barbet peered around a corner then abruptly grabbed Kyla and pushed her back behind him. The two of them waited for a second and then peered around in unison.

A large, metal gate cut across the street several feet ahead and was being defended by guards and turrets. The gates were currently open as Shepard and the others were ushered inside before they clanged shut and the guards returned to their positions.

Barbet and Kyla retreated back around the corner, "That look like a base entrance to you?" the batarian muttered quietly."

"Yup," Kyla agreed, "what now? I'm assuming we're not going to storm the place?"

He smirked, "Tempting, but no. Let's see if we can contact the ship."

…

The gates shut behind Jules with a definite _clank,_ shutting off her chances of escape in a swift second. Not that she had been trying to escape, she needed answers first.

Still, she wasn't exactly thrilled by her gloomy new surroundings and she spared herself a glum sigh as she was pushed forward across what appeared to be a small courtyard towards a heavy pair of metal doors. It looked like a prison. An old, rundown prison but with bars on the windows and guards at every turn it was obvious that getting out again was going to be a challenge. She would worry about that later.

The doors opened and she found that inside, it looked less like a prison but much more like a criminal base. Her footsteps echoed off a metal grated floor and everything was lit with a dull, red light. People of all races lurked together in groups, smoking or chatting. They were all well-armed and well-dressed to go with it. In fact they didn't quite fit the stereotypical thug image that she'd conjured up for them.

Instead, they held themselves with a superior kind of dignity that people only displayed when they were used to being respected – or feared. Their clothes were exquisite, as were the jewels many of them were adorned with and as for their weapons... it was the first time Jules had ever seen diamond encrusted submachine guns but she had to admit, they put her gold-plated shotgun to shame.

Still, she wouldn't have said she was impressed. Instead the whole scene unnerved her.

She drew looks as she was led through the base, some of mild distaste, some of downright contempt and some whose eyes lit up hungrily, like they'd just spotted a prize they wished to own. They whispered and murmured to each other as they watched her and Jules was reminded of nineteenth-century aristocrats from old Earth films. They were a bizarre contrast to the dank metal base they resided in.

She was taken through another set of doors and suddenly found herself in a wide, open space. The ceiling was three times as high here and the walls melted away into a large, circular room. She was treading on dirt now and she looked down to see blood stains in a mix of colours in the sand.

It was an arena, she realised as she eyed the rows of empty benches that were overlooking it. There were people training here, stripped down to the bare minimum of clothing as sparred together in pairs. They were being watched over by guards who seemed to be throwing their own punches at anyone they thought wasn't trying hard enough.

Jules slowed as she tried to get a better look at what was going on here until a rifle butt hit her sharply in the back and she was reminded to keep moving. She was marched to the other end of the arena and out through another set of doors. They moved through the dingy corridors until they finally stopped at a door. Connor – who had been leading the group – hit the access panel and after a moment the door slid open.

The room beyond was the perfect example of what happened when someone had too much money and no taste. 'Garish' was the first word that occurred to her as she was pushed inside, then she quickly decided that would be an understatement.

Every corner glittered, from the heavy, golden chandelier to the thick, velvet drapes to the mismatch of statues, crammed together in no obvious order. Some were old, probably scavenged from Thessia after the war as they depicted naked asari or busts of prothean-like creatures similar to the ones Jules had seen in the temple of Athame.

An ancient stone tablet was propped up against one wall with old asari writing carved into it and Jules grimaced, knowing Liara would have a fit when she found out such a precious artefact had ended up in a place like this. A gold rimmed mirror stood in one corner, reflecting the room in all its ghastliness and several thick rugs that didn't complement each other covered the metal floor. If the whole purpose of this grandeur was to cover up the dank, gloominess of the room then it wasn't working. Everything simply looked vulgar and out-of-place.

Perhaps the worst part was the golden throne situated in the middle. At least, it had been made up to _look_ like a throne – cushioned with red velvet and decorated with gemstones that could only have been found on Thessia.

The human man who was lounging in it was obviously the room's designer and from the looks of it, he fancied himself as some kind of medieval king. He was dressed in a deep, royal purple and every inch of him dripped with jewels, from the glittering rings adorning every finger to the numerous piercings at his ears to the golden toecaps of his boots – which also happened to be encrusted with diamonds. Gold and silver beads were braided into his long hair and Jules was amazed he wasn't wearing a crown too, just to finish off the look.

Whoever this guy was, his base had quickly shot to the top of her least-favourite-places-to-be-held-captive list. The Illusive Man may have been a sadistic bastard but at least he'd been a minimalist when it came to interior décor.

He studied her carefully as she was brought before him, his expression blank as he tilted his head to one side and peered at her through pale, watery eyes. She noticed the family resemblance between him and Connor immediately and suddenly realised why someone as young as Connor had been given command of a squad. Nepotism was common in criminal gangs, and however fancy these people were, they were still just a criminal gang.

"So," he spoke smoothly, running a hand across his chin. He may have been dressed like a king but he didn't have the manner of one, he looked lazy instead of regal and as though everything in the world bored him, "this is… Commander Shepard?" as he said her name, his face split into an amused grin and he cast a glance at Paige who was standing beside Jules with her arms folded. The asari bristled at his tone. Jules noticed that neither she, nor any of the squad from the freighter were as well-dressed as most of the people here. Perhaps this was the kind of gang where you had to work your way up.

"It _is_ her, boss," she told him firmly, "I know it sounds mad-"

"Show me the scans," he cut her off, rising from his throne and wandering over to her, hand outstretched expectantly. She hesitated briefly and then activated her omni-tool. He grabbed her roughly by the arm and pulled the interface into his view. Jules saw a flash of annoyance in Paige's eyes and she seemed to bite her tongue to stay quiet.

Eventually he released his grip on her and looked over at Connor, "You're right, she's quite a find."

Connor's smirk failed to hide how pleased he was by the compliment. The 'boss' eyed Jules for a second, "Leave her with me," he decided, "I'll see what she has to say for herself."

Paige and Connor exchanged a glance before they and the guards filed out of the room, leaving Jules alone with him. He didn't speak at once, instead eyeing her idly before sauntering back to his throne and throwing himself down with a flourish.

"What's your name?" he enquired, his voice was beautifully delicate, reminding Jules of Aria for a brief second. From his question, it was obvious he didn't believe Paige's theory. As bizarre as the truth was, Jules couldn't immediately think of anything more plausible that she could tell him, so she responded with a smile.

"What's yours?"

He blinked at her, as though wondering if she was serious. Perhaps he was well known around here. Eventually he seemed to decide to humour her.

"Cadeyrn," he replied, Jules showed no signs of recognition at the name, "I own this base, and the arena."

Jules cast a glance around the lavish room, "Yeah, I figured that."

He studied her a little more, drawing out the silence before he spoke again, "Paige has convinced herself that you are the legendary Commander Shepard. Is that true?"

"Do you believe it's true?"

He paused again, his eyes trailing the length of her body as though some clue might be revealed there, "I think _others_ will believe it's true," he said at last, "which is more important. I can understand why she'd think you're something special though. Your implants are… impressive."

"Cadeyrn!" she said, feigning shock, "Are you flirting with me?"

Sadly, Cadeyrn didn't seem the type to appreciate a good joke and his face remained impassive as he leaned forward, steepling his fingers beneath his chin, "How did you end up with so many implants?"

"Long story," Jules replied, "and a very personal one."

"Paige claims that one of them is a _biotic_ implant."

"Mm," Jules muttered, "your son seemed surprised by that too."

"My what?"

Jules raised an eyebrow, "Connor?"

For a moment he frowned as though he didn't even recognise the name, then it seemed to come back to him, "Oh. He's my nephew, actually but you're very observant, _Shepard_. Why do you need a biotic implant?"

Jules frowned, wondering if it was a trick question, "Well… I'd struggle to use my biotics without it."

"Would you?" he seemed genuinely intrigued by that as he leaned back again and scrutinised her curiously, "Connor's right then, you're not from this part of space. How did you get here? Did you come on one of the shipments from the Terminus? Yes you must have done," he decided before she could answer him, "nothing comes through the relay."

Jules stayed quiet. She could only begin to imagine what the hell was being shipped in from the Terminus, as far as she had known _nobody_ had any contact with asari space in the rest of the galaxy. If Aria knew something about this… she decided not to jump to conclusions as Cadeyrn continued to muse to himself.

"But what where you doing on my freighter?" he asked, almost more to himself than to her, "Did you stowaway from Thessia? There's no shame in it if you did, plenty of people want to get off that planet."

"Do they?" Jules muttered, "First you think I'm from the Terminus and then from Thessia. Make your mind up."

He glowered slightly, "If the Thessian Order have sent you as some kind of trap, I promise it won't work."

"Connor mentioned the Thessian Order," Jules said, "who are they?" perhaps she was giving too much away by asking, but she _was_ curious.

Cadeyrn's reaction was telling, he seemed to be trying to decide whether she was joking or not, "They are… everywhere and nowhere."

Jules rolled her eyes, "Helpful. I hear you've been stealing eezo off them?"

"Stealing?" he frowned now, his eyes sharpening accusingly, "Would you judge a starving man for taking food from a fat one, who hordes a larder bigger than he could ever need?"

"Dunno," Jules shrugged, "depends whether he's the leader of a criminal gang."

"Criminal? The word criminal, suggests the presence of laws."

"And there aren't any in this city?"

"There are… rules," he allowed, "most of them are written by me."

"Ah," Jules felt her face fall slightly as she realised she may have underestimated how far up the food chain Cadeyrn was. Up until that point she'd had him pegged as a petty crime lord, one with expensive tastes and a serious superiority complex but nothing more than that. But if he was in charge of the city… she squinted at him, trying to work out how serious he was being. He may just have been lying to intimidate her after all.

"Is that why you need the eezo? To run the city?"

He frowned at her, "You ask strange questions."

She shrugged, "We've already established that I'm not from round here. I'm just trying to get my bearings."

"Hm," he thought about that for a moment, "I'll tell you what, _Shepard,_ I'll make a deal with you. I'll answer any questions you have, _if_ you do something for me."

Jules sighed, "Here we go. What is it? You want me to rescue someone? Reclaim a lost heirloom? Single-handedly win a war? Find a missing cat?"

He smirked softly, "Can you _fight_?"

Jules snorted.

…

As Liara and the others moved through the abandoned dome, they found more reaper remains. The large skeleton of a brute lay where it had fallen, flanked by the crushed and scattered remains of half-a-dozen more husks and a few marauders.

Their metal eyes were dead as they stared soullessly at their cold surroundings and Liara found herself feeling sad; not for the monstrous creatures that had died, but for the people they had been before the reapers corrupted them.

It seemed like this dome had been held in time, a capsule preserving all the horrors of the war, untouched for centuries. It was stirring up memories that Liara didn't often revisit.

Egret's initial horror had slowly turned to fascination and when they encountered the vast corpse of a harvester, blocking a corridor beneath the breach it must have smashed through, Egret moved over to it with interest.

"They were remarkable, weren't they?" she mused as she shone her torch along the length of its metal spine, "Horrible of course," she added quickly, "but remarkable."

Some people might have thought her reaction cold or tactless, but Liara was a scientist and knew what it was like to put emotion aside in favour of curiosity. She had also been fascinated by the reapers once, until she'd witness the pointless destruction they brought.

She let Egret examine the harvester's remains as she brought up her omni-tool and scanned ahead. There seemed to be a network of tunnels somewhere beneath them, possibly what was left of the original mining operations here. They had checked every exit from the dome and found them firmly sealed, most of the corridors that connected to the other domes had been blocked up or destroyed anyway but it looked like the mining tunnels ran right to the other domes; if they could just find a way down to them.

"Doctor T'Soni," Maia's voice reached her through her helmet's intercom and she looked up, shining her torch through the orange fog. She could just make out the matriarch's silhouette over by the wall, she saw a blue haze of biotics light up around her, accompanied by the screech of metal. As she walked over, she saw Maia had forced open and ancient pair of doors and was now leaning through them, peering downwards.

"Looks like an old elevator shaft," she said as Liara came alongside her, she also leaned through, shining her torch into the blackness below. The narrow beam penetrated the dark even less than it did the fog, giving no indication of what was down there.

"I wonder how far down it goes," Maia muttered.

"One way to find out," Liara gave Maia no time to react as she stepped to edge and jumped.

The stale air rushed past her as she fell, enclosing her in darkness. She went past the distance that she could easily survive and carried on falling. Some hidden asari instinct told her that the ground was approaching and her biotics reacted, cushioning her in a protective field that slowed her decent until she finally stopped, hovering an inch off the ground. She let her biotics dissipate and dropped neatly to the floor.

"About fifty feet," she said into her helmet, "come on down."

She stepped out of the way and was soon joined by Maia and then Egret, both using their biotics to cushion them in the same way. Maia's face was lit up inside her helmet and she was looking at Liara with an expression that was hard to read.

"I had heard many things about you, Liara T'Soni," she stated calmly, "your recklessness was not one of them."

For a moment Liara paused as the childhood feeling of being told off by a disapproving matriarch flooded back to her. But as she looked over at Maia, she realised there was a brightness in her eyes and a levity in her tone that suggested she was smiling beneath her helmet.

"When you've walked down the active main battery of a geth dreadnaught or charged through a battlefield towards a reaper with the mother of all thresher maws behind you, you soon gain a new perspective on what is reckless and what is not," she replied calmly.

"I'm sure," Maia agreed, a trace of amusement in her voice, "you should tell us some of your war stories sometime, the younger ones have been dying to hear them."

Liara blinked at her, very aware of Egret's expectant eyes on her. She cleared her throat and flashed her torch around. It was pitch black down here but she could feel the tunnel that was enclosing them even if she couldn't see it. The dark was drinking in the light from her torch and she frowned and brought up her omni-tool.

"We're in the mining tunnels," she muttered, "I should be able to chart a path through them to the other domes."

" _Doctor T'Soni,_ " Ereba's voice came over the comm.

"Go ahead," Liara told her.

" _I've just heard in from Kyla and Barbet. We may have a problem…_ "

…

" _What do you mean you let her get captured?_ " Kyla winced as Liara's voice yelled at her through her omni-tool.

"Alright babe, keep your knickers on!" she retorted, "We were only following her orders! And would you _please_ keep your voice down?" she and Barbet were currently standing in a narrow alleyway a few blocks away from where Shepard had been taken and she keeping a very close eye on a shady group of salarians who were lurking at the far end of it. She had a feeling it would be better not to draw attention to themselves around here.

Barbet cleared his throat, giving Kyla a meaningful look as he spoke, "We followed the guards who took her, we know where she's being held. Looks pretty well defended."

There was a pause and what sounded like a heavy sigh, "Alright. Don't try anything until we arrive."

"Where the hell are you anyway?" Kyla asked, "Ereba said you'd had to land in an abandoned section?"

"Yes. We're trying to reach you now, just sit tight until we get there."

The comm shut off and Kyla huffed, "Hmph, not even a thank you."

Barbet gave her one of his looks.

…

"An arena is a very lucrative business," Cadeyrn had risen from his throne to pour himself a drink at a nearby table. He had relaxed into the conversation now, speaking to Jules more like a casual friend than a prisoner. He even turned his back on her as he wandered casually back to his throne and sat. Either he deliberately wanted to show her how unthreatened he felt by her, or he was an idiot. She knew which option she was favouring at the moment.

"I can imagine," she muttered dryly.

"A man like me often has to deal with… difficult people," he continued, "some of them are genuine threats, others are simply fools trying to avoid paying their taxes."

"By 'taxes' I'm assuming you mean protection money," Jules said. He looked up at her sharply, his beaded braids clinking together.

"You have a very low opinion of me considering we've only just met."

"I get the feeling you're not about to improve it," she retorted, "what do you do with these people?"

He shrugged, "Imprisoning them is expensive and ultimately pointless. Executing them always seems like a waste. However, put them in the arena and people will pay to watch them fight. Those with enough skill to survive become extremely profitable and those that don't are no great loss."

"So those fighters I saw training in the arena? They're all here against their will?"

He smiled and nodded, "But I'm not unreasonable. They can fight for their freedom, if the so wish."

"And how do they do that?" Jules muttered through gritted teeth, it was taking a lot of effort to stay calm in the face of this moron's indifference to the lives he threw away. Whatever patience she had once had for people like him had run out decades ago.

"They can challenge my champion," he replied.

"And is your _champion_ a prisoner too?"

"Oh no, the champion fights willingly. If someone challenges the champion and wins, they go free."

"And if they lose they die?" Jules assumed.

"Not necessarily. If they put up a good enough fight I might keep them alive, no point in wasting talent. The better the fighter, the more people will pay to see them compete. Unfortunately, not many people are much of a match for my champion and the fights are often a disappointment."

Jules chewed on the inside her mouth, she could see where this was going.

"You're _not_ Commander Shepard," he told her, "that much is obvious. But that name inspires awe and reverence."

Jules frowned sceptically, "Does it?"

"People will want to believe you are her even if they have to ignore the fact that she would be over two centuries old. Your implants are remarkable, perhaps they're common on the other side of the galaxy, I don't know. But here, they'll be enough to peak people's interest."

Jules breathed a long sigh, "So, you want me to fight your champion?"

He smiled, "It's been so long since anyone put up a decent fight that people have stopped coming to the champion's matches."

"You haven't even seen me fight. What makes you think I'll be any better?"

"The name 'Shepard' will be enough to draw people in and remind them that the champion is worth watching even if you do turn out to be useless. But something tells me those implants of yours make you quite formidable."

"Oh, I was formidable long before the implants, believe me," Jules folded her arms, she found it surprisingly annoying that Cadeyrn didn't believe who she was, "you want me to fight this champion of yours? Fine. I'll happily kill some bloodthirsty thug who gets a kick out of slaughtering weaker opponents but afterwards, I want to know everything about this city, Thessia and what the hell is going on in this part of space."

Cadeyrn considered her for a moment, then nodded, "If you win, I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"It's a deal," Jules muttered, she had a feeling she was always going to have been chucked in that arena whether she'd agreed to it or not. At least she'd be fighting this 'champion' and not one of the other prisoners.

"Good," Cadeyrn smiled, "I'll see that the arena is full within the hour."

"Within the _hour_?" Jules repeated.

"Of course. People pay more at short notice, why waste time waiting? You want your answers, don't you?"

…

It was amazing how quickly an hour could pass. Jules was taken to a small holding room just off from the arena; she wasn't alone, Paige and Connor stood guard while she paced restlessly from wall to wall. The noise from the arena steadily began to grow and Jules wondered how the hell Cadeyrn managed to pull a crowd together so quickly. Word must travel fast in this city.

"Do I get my guns back?" she asked at one point. Connor threw her a disdainful glance.

"You won't need them. The arena is hand-to-hand and biotic combat only."

"Is the champion a biotic?"

Connor gave her that look again, the look you only gave people when they asked a stupid question, "Everyone in the arena's a biotic."

Jules frowned thoughtfully, "Is everyone in asari space a biotic?"

His look was even more incredulous this time and he seemed to decide _that_ question wasn't worthy of an answer. She tried asking something else.

"What can you tell me about this champion? I'd like to know what I'm up against."

He sighed, "Let's put it this way, it's been a long time since anyone won their freedom."

"I hope you're as good as everyone always said you were," Paige added. Connor stared at her, "What?" she asked.

"You can't seriously think…" he trailed off and shook his head, "never mind."

"You weren't alive during the war, Connor," she told him sharply, "if you had been you'd know I'm right about her. The boss shouldn't be doing this."

"Shut up."

"It's idiotic."

"Shut up!" he snapped, "For you own sake, learn to keep your fucking mouth shut! Unless you want to get thrown in that arena too!" it didn't sound like a threat, it sounded more like Connor was genuinely worried about her. It didn't seem like Cadeyrn inspired unquestioning loyalty from his followers. He was probably relying on money and fear to keep people onside.

The door opened and a turian guard stepped inside. He wasn't one of the finely dressed ones, he looked to be nothing more than a grunt. Connor glanced back at Jules, "Looks like it's time to go."

Jules eyed him for a moment and contemplated saying something, but in the end she stayed quiet as she stepped between them towards the door. Paige caught her briefly by the arm as she passed.

"Good luck," she said, followed by a small shrug as though she wished she could offer more. Jules gave her a nod and left.

The turian led her the short way down the corridor and opened the doors to the arena, bringing the previously muffled chants and cheers into sharp focus. He didn't go through them, instead stepping aside and looking at her meaningfully. Jules steeled herself as best she could and walked forwards.

The noise was deafening. The arena was really quite small, it couldn't have held many more than a thousand people but their raucous cheers thundered intensely in the enclosed space, making the floor vibrate beneath her.

She stepped tentatively out into bright lights and gazed distastefully upon her audience. There were people of every race here but it was obvious you had to be rich to get in. Some glittered with jewels, others didn't but carried a personal armoury on them that showed off their wealth. As she scanned the bizarre and mismatched crowd she couldn't help but wonder if the arena was this city's equivalent of the opera.

Whatever walks of life they came from, they were all out for blood, jeering and shouting as she emerged. She stopped close to the centre of the ring and slipped her hands into her back pockets, being sure not to look intimidated or even impressed.

If this so-called 'champion' got some kind of a kick out of killing for other people's entertainment then she would be glad to end them. But she'd try to do it cleanly, there was no way she was going to play up to what this lot wanted.

" _The legendary Commander Shepard!_ " Cadeyrn's voice boomed over the crowd, amplified enough that she felt it through her chest. She turned to see him seated at the head of the arena, surrounded by guards. He was lounging lazily in his chair, smiling at her all too pleasantly, " _Are you ready to face the champion?"_

She got a feeling the question was rhetorical and responded only by folding her arms. He seemed to give her a little disapproving sigh before he continued.

" _Open the doors!"_ he shouted, " _Release the champion!"_

' _Release' the champion?_ Jules mused, was the champion some kind of animal? Or was he just being melodramatic?

The doors opposite her opened and she saw a tall, slender figure silhouetted against the light. It was walking on two legs and certainly didn't look like a beast, as it glided elegantly forwards she realised it was an asari. That was fine. She'd fought plenty of asari.

She might have expected a bloodthirsty fighter to be a krogan or a batarian, but she knew that asari could be just as cruel and twice as dangerous. She got into a fighting stance and channelled her biotics, erecting a barrier around herself in preparation.

The crowd had become almost frenzied at the sight of the champion and the noise had increased even more. What sickened her most was the amount of laughter – childish laughter, like watching two people kill each other was nothing but a bit of fun.

" _Let the fight begin!_ " Cadeyrn shouted over it all.

Jules readied herself, the asari stepped into the light and suddenly Jules faltered, her barrier diminished and she felt her guard completely drop as she stared in disbelief at the woman in front of her.

"Samara?"

* * *

 ** _Just a quick thank you to everyone who's still following this story, writing it keeps me sane so I'm glad other people are enjoying it too :-)_**


	23. The Champion

_Chapter Twenty-three – The Champion_

Samara's face flickered at the sight of Jules, creasing in mild alarm. At least, she looked as alarmed as Jules had ever seen her. For a split-second they just stared at each other, then Samara snapped her head round towards Cadeyrn and the expectant crowd. When she turned back her face was set and her pale eyes steeled with cold determination.

"Defend yourself, Commander," she instructed curtly.

" _What_?" Jules demanded but she had no time to question further as Samara pounced. The justicar charged at her, forcing her to dodge swiftly to the side.

 _Justicar._ She remembered the word grimly as she wondered how many rules of the code Samara had broken in this arena. There had to be another explanation, she wouldn't be doing this willingly; then again, the idea that she could be forced into it seemed just as unlikely.

Questions and theories spun around her head in a flurry, blurring her instincts as Samara aimed another blow. This time Jules didn't react in time and found her feet kicked out from under her, she hit the ground hard, spraying dirt and sand into her own eyes. Samara was on top of her in an instant, pinning her firmly by the throat.

"You must fight back," she muttered beneath the roar of the crowd as her hand clenched around Jules' neck, "Cadeyrn will make me kill you if you don't entertain him."

Jules glared at her in disbelief. The last time she had seen Samara, it had been a few months after the war; the justicar had fought on Earth in the final battle and had stayed in the aftermath to help the survivors. As soon as the first ships had been restored to FTL flight, however, she had jumped on one of the few headed for asari space with the intention of finding Falere – her last surviving daughter.

None of those ships had ever returned and when Jules had heard nothing more, she had feared the worst. The old asari had been knocking on the door of a-thousand-years-old even back then and as the centuries passed Jules had assumed she would never see her again. She'd certainly never expected to find her fighting for a crime lord in a place like this.

"What the hell has happened to you?" she managed to snarl through the choke hold. A flicker of something passed through those wide, calm eyes. Shame? Pain? Regret? Samara had always been hard to read.

" _Please,_ " she implored, Jules had never seen her plead before but she did as the old justicar wanted.

She grabbed at Samara's wrist and snatched it away from her throat, following up with a punch to the gut that knocked her off-balance long enough for Jules to spring back to her feet. She re-raised her barrier and spun to face Samara. It was then the fight really began.

Jules remembered the first time she had seen Samara fight, she had almost been in awe – and Jules wasn't the awe-struck type generally. She had always been one of the strongest biotics in the Alliance, but seeing Samara – all the power and the control she wielded – had shown Jules how much she still had to learn.

She and Samara had spent hours down in the Normandy's cargo hold, turning it into their own biotic training ground as Samara steadily taught her all she knew. Jules was more grateful for it than ever now, as she soon realised she was going to have to dig deep into every scrap of skill she had to come out of this one unscathed.

Samara wasn't holding back – at least Jules sure as hell hoped she wasn't, because if this was her holding back then she really was outmatched. Samara pirouetted and spun with the grace of a dancer and the force of a krogan, her attacks fast and fluid and unrelenting, leaving Jules no time to think or breathe or strategize any kind of plan.

She gave as good as she got, ducking and dodging and retaliating at every opportunity but she was relying on pure instinct to keep her ahead of Samara's moves. This fight wasn't within her control and she could feel it slipping further from her grasp as Samara continued her onslaught with no let up. It was as mentally exhausting as it was physically as Jules' brain struggled to keep up with the asari, let alone predict her next moves.

She deflected a biotic pull that was meant to knock her off her feet and rolled out of the way of a shockwave. Samara was giving her no pause for breath, she just needed a second or two to _think._ She saw another shockwave headed for her, twice as strong as the last and in a moment of pure recklessness she decided to stand her ground.

Instead of diving aside she channelled her own biotics and unleashed a shockwave of her own. The two forces met in the arena's centre but there was no explosion. Jules felt the impact through every nerve and staggered but held fast, pouring more power forwards in an attempt to push Samara back. Around her the crowd were hysterical, screaming and cheering as though they had never seen a fight like it. Perhaps they hadn't.

Samara's shockwave held, stopped in its tracks but unwavering. Jules sent more power into it until she could feel her implant burning and her nerves screaming and when she reached the limits she knew she was capable of she went further, finding reserves buried deep within herself that she had barely known were there.

With a yell, she poured every ounce of energy she had into the shockwave until the power could no longer be contained and an explosion erupted across the room. Biotic energy rippled through the arena, shaking the ground as dust rained down from the rafters.

Jules staggered in relief and as the blue-white haze faded she saw Samara hurtling backwards through the air, high into the crowd until she hit the back wall and crumpled to the floor. Jules breathed heavily, vaguely aware that something seemed to be missing. It took her a moment to realise it was the crowd. They were _silent._

The cheering and yelling that had been filling her ears and confusing her thoughts had abruptly stopped as people stared open-mouthed. Some of them were still out of their seats, their hands half-raised in unfinished cheers. Some looked shocked, some scared, or excited, but all were silent as they watched to see what their champion would do next. Jules flexed her shoulders and waited.

Slowly, and with the kind of regal composure that Cadeyrn was so sorely lacking, Samara got nimbly to her feet and dusted down her armour. She met Jules' gaze squarely across the room and calmly began to make her way back down through the seats, the slightest limp the only evidence of the impact she'd endured. The audience members parted for her as she passed, scrabbling to get out of her way as they stared at her.

She reached the railing that separated the audience from the arena and swung neatly over it. She clenched both fists and held Jules' gaze, her expression blank as a barrier shimmered into life around her. Jules erected her own barrier again and slowly they circled one another.

The sudden quiet of the arena was more tense and unsettling that the noise had ever been, "GO ON SHEPARD!" someone yelled out, prompting a few laughs and cheers of agreement. Jules resisted the urge to find whoever it was and punch them for it; she would take no pleasure in winning this fight. She had expected to be taking on a heatless thug, not a friend. Or at least, someone who _used_ to be a friend.

The slightest twitch of Samara's shoulder warned Jules that she was going to strike first, biotic energy radiated around her and she charged. Jules could have dived out of the way, but she knew she could never match Samara's endurance and she had to wrap this up quickly so she stood her ground, strengthening her barrier to take the brunt of the impact.

Samara hit her and she staggered but didn't fall, before the justicar could react Jules grabbed her and punched her squarely in the jaw. Samara retaliated in kind and the match turned swiftly into a brutal fist-fight, punches flew at speed and the crowd got right back into it, shouting and yelling with even more vigour than before.

Jules had the advantage here and it was her turn to run rings around the asari as she combined every move she knew without pausing to let Samara get a look in.

The asari was limping at her left side and Jules aimed a blow to her hip there, resulting in an uncharacteristic cry of pain. Jules took her chance and kicked Samara's feet from under her before wrestling her face-first into the sand. She pinned both hands behind Samara's back and leaned on top of her to keep her down.

"I _won't_ kill you!" she said close to Samara's head, hoping it would prompt the asari to surrender. That, as it turned out, was a mistake.

A biotic force knocked Jules back, followed up with a move so swift her brain barely registered it before Samara was back on her feet and her dragging Jules up with her, throwing her back against the railing. Samara's hand was at her throat, she could hear the roar of the crowd right by her ear but as she made to fight back she found her limbs wouldn't respond.

Biotic energy was creeping up her body, tightening around her muscles until they ached under the pressure. The stasis field locked her in place, gently crushing her lungs and trapping her jaw so she couldn't even speak, she could only stare into Samara's wide, pale eyes.

The justicar blinked at her for a second and then turned to look high up into the crowd. In a sickening instant Jules realised she was looking at Cadeyrn, awaiting his order. The moment dragged on until eventually, the crime lord's voice boomed out over the crowd again.

" _I DECLARE THE CHAMPION VICTORIUS! Commander Shepard… will be allowed to live_ ," he was smirking as he said it, Jules could tell by the smug tone of his voice.

The stasis field vanished and Jules gasped as air flooded back to her; her legs gave out but she didn't fall, it took her a moment to realise that Samara was holding her upright. Around them, the crowd were beside themselves and the cheering had turned into excited chatter but Jules ignored it; Samara was staring at her, her eyes drowning out the noise as she tried to communicate something that Jules couldn't begin to decipher. Was she apologetic? Regretful? Begging for help? It was impossible to tell.

Cadeyrn emerged through the crowd, pausing by the railings to regard Jules with a small smile, "You did well, _Shepard,_ " he stated, the way he said her name suggested he still didn't believe who she was, "I may have use for you yet," he turned to two of his guards behind him, "take her to the fighters' quarters."

Jules spat blood and glared at him, "You said you'd answer my questions!"

He paused and snorted at her, "Only if you won."

…

Navigating the mining tunnels turned out to be more complicated than Liara had hoped. The centuries had taken their toll and numerous cave-ins blocked their way, forcing them to backtrack more than once.

Eventually, they had to use biotics to clear a small crawl space in one blocked tunnel, just big enough for them to get through. Liara didn't let on how uncomfortable she was in tight spaces as she shuffled through on her stomach, hoping she wasn't about to be crushed alive.

She emerged unscathed on the other side and stumbled to her feet. The tunnel she found herself in was different to the others, as she flashed her torch around she saw it had been built up, the floor beneath her was metal, as were the walls and ceiling and the sound of running water echoed all around.

She brought up her omni-tool as she waited for the others to join her and did a quick scan; there seemed to be no one down here but it was obviously in use for something.

Behind her, she heard a few stones being dislodged and turned to see Egret's head appear through the hole, muttering and grumbled as she wriggled free and rolled onto her back.

"Fuck," she gasped as she lay there, regaining her breath, "it's a good thing Grunt's not here, he'd never fit through there."

"He would just head-butt the rocks until they moved for him," Liara said with a smile.

Egret chuckled, "True."

Maia crawled out with more grace than either of them had managed and jumped nimbly back to her feet, "Where are we?" she asked, flashing her torch around the dark tunnel.

"Beneath the main dome," Liara told her, "these tunnels seem to have been kept in good condition but I don't think they're lived in. Let's look ahead."

The answer to what these tunnels were being used for was found a few feet ahead when they jumped down from the metal grating into a perfectly circular tunnel – like a pipe – and found themselves thigh-deep in murky brown liquid.

"Ah," Liara muttered as she realised what they were standing in, "sewers."

"Urgh," Egret grimaced, "I'm glad we're wearing breathing masks."

"On the plus side," Maia said, "sewers do tend to connect to every part of a city, it shouldn't be hard finding an exit."

"Mm," Liara agreed, "I've got a fix on Kyla and Barbet's position, let's get as close to them as we can."

…

Jules was dragged from the arena though a door that led to a staircase; they descended beneath the arena and arrived in what was presumably the fighters' quarters. It was a large, open-plan space akin to a locker room with benches and equipment racks. Thin sleeping mats were scattered about the floor along with piles of clothing and other items – cutlery, datapads, a half-finished game of cards, everything that suggested this place was a permanent living area.

There were a few other rooms that led off from this main one and through the open doorways Jules saw more of the same, though at least one looked like a training room while another had proper tables and chairs. In that one she saw screens showing a live view of the arena and realised the others fighters must have seen the match.

They were milling around the rooms as she was led through them, huddled in groups or sitting alone. Most of them looked strong and lean – suggesting they were well-fed at the very least – and covered in scars and bruises, as many old as recent. She wondered how long some of them had been here.

Conversations hushed and eyes turned as she was led past. At first she thought it was a reaction to her until she realised they were actually looking behind her. She cast a glance over her shoulder and saw Samara had followed her down. The justicar had her hands clasped behind her back and her eyes fixed ahead as she walked, ignoring the attention she was getting. The look of fear in some of their eyes was tempered by the hatred in others' and Jules began to wonder just how much Samara might have changed since the war.

She was led into a smaller, empty room at the far end that contained a long bench and a few scattered items. The floor sloped down into the middle slightly where there was a grated drain, stained with dark, dried liquid that looked disturbingly like blood. More blood stained the floor, making it look disturbingly like a slaughterhouse.

The guards dumped her down on the bench and left her without a word. She could hear the quiet murmuring of the other fighters through the open door as Samara appeared silently in her eye-line. After a second, Jules tentatively looked up.

In many ways, Samara looked no different to the asari Jules had once known. She stood tall and straight, clad in neat-fitting, blue-green armour that was fashioned not unlike fish scales and glimmered translucently in the light. Her expression, as always, appeared blank; but Jules had learned that there was always a trace of emotion there if you knew how to spot it, usually hidden behind those wide eyes. Right now they looked… relieved.

"You fought well, my friend," she stated gently after a moment of silence, "it is good to see you again."

Jules glared at her sharply, "Is it? Would you have killed me if Cadeyrn had told you to?"

She looked away, glancing out into the main room as though judging if any of the fighters could hear her, "No," she admitted, "but it would have… complicated things."

For a moment Jules just blinked, expecting her to elaborate. She didn't.

"What the hell is going on, Samara? The justicar I knew would have torn this place down with her bare hands, or died trying. She wouldn't fight prisoners and slaves for other people's entertainment."

A small frown creased Samara's brow and she didn't answer at once, instead wandering over to a workbench by the wall. There was a collection of items there including bandages, syringes and other bloodied instruments and Jules realised this must be a medical room, of sorts. It was so filthy she would probably pick up an infection just from sitting there and there was nothing so advanced as medi-gel, but Samara returned with a cloth and a bowl of liquid that smelled strongly of antiseptic.

Samara sat beside her, soaked the cloth in the liquid and offered it to her. Jules honestly had no idea how many cuts and bruises she had sustained but she could taste blood so she pressed the cloth to her lip and winced as the antiseptic stung.

"Many people have taken the name 'Shepard' in the arena," Samara began absently, "they brandish it as though they have a right to it, the name of a hero from legend that anyone can claim. When Cadeyrn told me that another Shepard had challenged me, I didn't for one moment think it would be you. How is this possible?"

Samara was looking right at her now, her wide eyes as piercing as a blade. Jules sighed heavily, she supposed Samara had as much right to answers as she had.

"You remember after the war? When I got out of the wreckage of the Citadel and my implants went into overdrive trying to regenerate my cells after all the injuries I'd got?" Samara responded with a single nod, "Well, they never stopped. Not only did I heal, I lost the ability to age."

Jules let that sink in and Samara blinked, "How long will you live?"

Jules shrugged, "As long as the implants keep working. And knowing Miranda, she'll have built them to last. I might be as old as you one day, provided no one puts a bullet in me first."

Samara squinted thoughtfully, "And why are you here?"

"Would you believe I came with Tevos? She recruited me for a mission to reclaim Thessia for the asari."

"Reclaim it from whom?"

Jules shrugged, "Whoever's living there now I guess," Samara's eyes narrowed and she went quiet. Jules waited but she seemed unwilling to comment further. Eventually, Jules cleared her throat, "your turn."

Samara's frown deepened and she looked at the floor, "When I returned to the Athena Nebula after the war, I found it scattered and chaotic. There were pockets of survivors on every habitable world with no way of communicating with each other or knowing what had happened. The reapers had ravaged this part of space and supplies were scarce, there was a lot of suffering."

"What about Falere? Did you find her?"

"Yes. I planned on bringing her back to Earth but she refused, she said the people here needed us more, that we had a responsibility to help wherever we could. So that's what we did. For decades we moved from planet to planet, helping to rebuild and to keep order. But there was only so much we could do. Factions and gangs started to spring up, fighting over food and power."

"Mm," Jules nodded, "we had the same problems until the HTA was formed," Samara cocked her head inquisitively, "the Human Turian Alliance," Jules explained, "what was left of the human and turian governments came together in a kind of new version of the council. We rationed supplies, built settlements, tried to keep people safe. They're still in power today, although they might have… lost their way a bit," she had a feeling that was an understatement but she didn't want to get into a long explanation.

"Things were not so organised here," Samara stated, "it took many years before the settlements could even communicate with each other but Falere and I did what we could."

"What about Thessia?"

"Thessia was more cut off than most of the planets. We heard nothing from it for years. Many of the people on the surface when the Crucible fired would have been rescue teams or squads sent to find survivors and fight off the last of the reaper armies. Many of them would have been aliens and we assumed that few had survived."

"Because of the eezo levels," Jules agreed.

"The reapers left few asari alive in their assault on Thessia, we had no reason to think enough were left to have formed a society. We learned years later that we had been wrong."

Jules frowned thoughtfully, "Cadeyrn told me that no one here has a biotic implant, not even non-asari biotics."

"I cannot explain it," Samara agreed, "but I can tell you what I know. A few decades after the war ended – perhaps a generation in your terms – non-asari started emerging from Thessia, all of them biotic but with no implants."

"But they could still use their powers?" Jules asked. Samara gave a nod, "Is everyone in asari space a biotic?"

"Not all, but many. The children of those first biotics seemed to inherit biotic abilities from their parents and non-biotics are becoming less and less common."

"Well that doesn't make sense," Jules muttered, "biotic abilities have never been passed on genetically. I suppose any alien born on Thessia would be a biotic but I don't understand how they could even survive long enough to be born; they'd be exposed to constant levels of eezo throughout the entire pregnancy. My mother was exposed for twenty minutes when she was standing downwind of an eezo fuelled power plant that developed a leak and she was told I only had a forty percent chance of survival."

"As I said," Samara agreed, "I cannot explain it. Thessia is a secretive place shrouded in mystery. I have not set foot on its surface since the war ended and I can offer you little more than rumours."

"Alright, I'll take rumours. Who are the Thessian Order?"

A smile flickered vaguely on Samara's lips, "They are said to rule Thessia now and control the eezo being shipped out from it. They may well be a myth."

"Cadeyrn doesn't think so, and _someone's_ mining the eezo, just like someone built all those satellites to keep us from seeing what's going on."

"Indeed," Samara agreed with a tilt of her head, "I'm afraid I have few answers for you."

"Well," Jules shrugged, "you could always answer my original question: why the hell are you working for Cadeyrn? He says you fight for him willingly."

"Willingly?" Samara repeated, "Perhaps he and I have different definitions of the word. Let us say, I chose the better of two bad options."

"You're saying you're being forced into this somehow? You'll understand if I find that hard to believe."

Samara looked away again, out through the door towards the other fighters. When she did speak, it was so quietly that Jules barely heard her.

"He has Falere."

…

It took a while but Liara and her team eventually found a rusty, metal ladder that led up to the streets above the sewers. She gratefully turned off her torch as she pushed a metal grate aside and hauled herself out. She removed her helmet and looked around.

It looked like any number of back alleys in numerous cities she had visited – dank and gloomy and the smell probably wasn't much better than the sewers. As she looked up she saw the underside of other streets running above them and she could hear the distant echoes of hundreds of people. Down here it was quieter though.

As she studied the buildings around her in more detail, she realised she recognised their design. They looked like the sort of prefab structures that were used on colonies before the war. It was possible that these alleyways were the original mining settlement and the main city had been built on top of them.

Maia and Egret had both followed her out and were in the process of removing their own helmets when a shadow moved nearby. Liara reached for her gun, then saw that it was Kyla and Barbet walking towards them. Kyla eyed them suspiciously.

"What the hell are you covered in," she asked, gazing down at their environmental suits.

"You don't want to know," Liara told her, "where's Shepard?"

Barbet nodded behind him, "She's being held in a base a few blocks away. We've scouted the place out and it looks like there's two ways in: the main entrance she was taken through and a side door, they seem to use it as a kind of public entrance."

Liara frowned, "A criminal hideout with a public entrance?"

He shrugged, "We saw a crowd of people being let in that way, they were talking about some kind of fight? I got the impression there's an arena in there," he hesitated, seeming to weigh up whether to continue, "Shepard's name was mentioned."

Liara sighed inwardly, _can't keep yourself out of trouble for five minutes, can you Jules?_

"Okay," she decided, "is there any way we can get in?"

Barbet grimaced, "Both doors have guards and turrets on them and there's patrols in all the surrounding streets making sure no one gets too close. We could _try_ a full on frontal assault but…"

"We'd be about as fucked as a whore in a brothel," Kyla finished for him with her usual level of tact.

The batarian blinked at her for a moment and then shrugged, "Exactly."

"Have you taken scans of the building?" Liara asked. Barbet nodded and brought up a basic floor plan of the base on his omni-tool. Liara frowned and brought up her own scans of the sewers, she moved her arm so that the two interfaces overlaid each other and glanced back at Maia, "What do you think?"

The older asari tilted her head as she peered at the scans and then nodded decisively, "There may be a way in from underneath, though I doubt it will be undefended."

"Worth a look though," Liara said. She unzipped her environmental suit – revealing her light combat armour underneath – and wriggled out of it, "I want you to take Kyla and Egret back down there," she told Maia, "see what you can find. Barbet and I will do some digging up here," she handed her suit to Kyla, "here."

Kyla folded her arms and scrunched her nose, "What's that for?"

Liara smiled, "Trust me, you'll want it."

…

Jules flinched as Samara pressed the antiseptic-soaked cloth against her back; she'd removed her leather jacket to find bloodied tears across the back of it and now had her tattered shirt rolled up to reveal the wounds.

"I don't remember you cutting my back open," Jules said through gritted teeth as Samara cleaned her up.

"They're friction burns," Samara said matter-of-factly, "from the biotic attacks."

Jules made a face, "You really went to town on me, didn't you?"

There was a pause and then another sting of the cloth, "I apologise, Commander, I did not intend to hurt you," Jules turned at that, throwing Samara a look over her shoulder; the asari met her eye and then raised her shoulders in a slight shrug, "permanently."

"Mm," Jules muttered, "whatever you say. And I'm _not_ your commander, not anymore."

"As you wish, Shepard."

Samara fell silent, she had avoided elaborating about Falere and Jules knew she wouldn't until she was prompted. She was itching for an explanation but Samara preferred to take her own time so she waited. At least, until waiting became boring.

"Doesn't Cadeyrn hire doctors for his fighters?" she finally asked when the silence began to grate. She cast a glance around the filthy medical room and shuddered. It looked like more people died here than got healed.

"Not the ones down here," Samara replied, "those who impress him enough and move up in the rankings get better quarters and are better treated."

"Is that what you did?"

The question was answered with more silence as Samara finished treating the burns and swung her leg back over the bench so they were sitting side-by-side again. Jules straightened out her shirt and turned to face her, "C'mon Samara, give me something to work with here. I'm your friend… aren't I?"

The corner of Samara's mouth twitched, it might have been a smile, "Perhaps the only one I have," she agreed softly, then she settled both hands on her thighs and sighed, "Falere and I came to Piares almost ten years ago, back then Cadeyrn was in competition with two other gangs for control of the city. Those gangs still exist, but Cadeyrn ultimately gained more influence than them and is now far more powerful."

"Is he in charge?" Jules asked.

"In a manner of speaking," Samara agreed, "he is the wealthiest person here and that gives him influence, though he has little interest in politics or the running of the city. Still, there were far worse people who could have gained power."

"Really?" Jules grimaced, "Who the hell was he up against?"

Samara blinked, "He may be ruthless, Shepard, but he isn't as cruel as some. His arena isn't the only one on Piares, this city was built on gambling. It began with street fighting, then cage fighting, now there is an arena on every street with a betting shop right next door. When Falere and I first came here, Cadeyrn and the other gangs were competing to build the biggest arenas with the best fighters. There were rumours that any ship that passed too close to the planet was being attacked and the crew enslaved and forced to fight. More and more people were disappearing each day."

"So you came here to stop it," Jules assumed, this sounded more like the Samara she knew.

"And we did," Samara agreed, "it took several years but we helped those who were being held, we sabotaged the gangs and smuggled thousands of people to safety. Cadeyrn was not as bad as the others, he didn't raid ships or kidnap people. We knew not all of his fighters fought willingly, but most of them were people who had crossed him and many were criminals themselves. He was not our main focus."

"So… that's how he gained power?" Jules asked, "Because you sabotaged his rivals?"

"Yes. It was not our intention to help him, but it was the outcome. Of course, once the other gangs were no longer a threat to him, we became his problem too. He may not have been as bad as the others, but he was far from righteous. But he is not stupid, he realised that we would be a threat to him and he acted. He laid a trap for me and the team that I had built up over the years. They were all killed and Falere and I were captured. I think Cadeyrn liked the idea of having me as his champion, the woman who had defeated his rivals now under his control. It was a show of his power. I am his trophy, Shepard; a prize he flaunts in front of all. I fight for him or Falere suffers the consequences."

Samara looked away, her eyes fixed firmly of the floor and Jules watched her, letting her words sink in. After a moment she stood and paced, she made to say something but then thought better of it and paced again. Samara's story twirled around her head, rerunning over and over as Jules tried to link it with the justicar she had once fought beside.

"No," she decided eventually, "I'm not buying it. You wouldn't let Cadeyrn bully you into this, you would get Falere back and tear this place down."

"Shepard," Samara looked up at her wearily, "I do not even know where she is."

"Then find out!" Jules snapped, "Fight your way to his fucking throne room, throw him against the wall and _make_ him tell you!"

"And risk Falere being tortured or killed by him as a punishment?"

"The Samara I knew would rather risk losing a daughter than sinking to this!"

"I have lost two already," Samara stood sharply and Jules couldn't help but flinch back a step. Samara wasn't angry, but there was a firmness in her tone that stopped dead the lecture Jules had been about to unleash on her and a chill seemed to creep into the air, "one died by my hand and the other because I did not reach her in time to save her. I have been failing my daughters since before they were even born, when I chose an asari as their father despite knowing the gene I carried. I failed them when I let Morinth escape. I failed them when I left them to hunt her down and didn't return even when she was dead. Falere is all I have left that is worth living for, I will _not_ put her at risk."

Jules swallowed. She sometimes forgot how old Samara was, and that she was child in comparison. Despite all the stories Samara had told her on the Normandy, she still knew so little of everything that she had been through in her life. She had always felt like she knew only a fraction of who the asari was, that the _real_ Samara was buried somewhere deep that no one could reach.

"What about the code?" she asked quietly.

Samara's eyes flickered with brief emotion that was quickly covered, "The justicars all died defending Thessia, the code has little meaning now."

"You're still here. You lived your life by that code, and by the sounds of it you still were before Falere was captured."

She hesitated, then moved to sit back on the bench, "I once told you that following the code left me with no regrets. I believed it when I said it but I have since realised it was a lie," Samara's wide eyes met hers and Jules had to force herself to hold her gaze, "I have killed people because they made mistakes, people who may have deserved a second chance but the code would not allow it. I have let innocents die because there was a greater threat that deserved my attention and the code demanded I chose for the greater good. You would have done none of this and you are more just than I ever was."

Jules raised an eyebrow, "C'mon, Samara, you know I've made tough choices too, and they don't always end well."

"Indeed," Samara agreed, "surrendering to Cadeyrn was one of the most difficult choices of my life, but Falere is more important to me. I will not risk her safety for anything, not the code, not the people of Piares, and not you, Shepard."

Jules nodded slowly, "You've changed since the war, haven't you?"

Samara's shoulders relaxed and her eyes softened, "As have you, my friend."

…

Kyla's boots squelched as the sewage pooled around her thighs and she grimaced. The environmental suit was keeping her clean and dry and the helmet ensured she couldn't smell anything but that didn't mean she wasn't painfully aware of what she was wading through.

"I'm going to kill her," she muttered as she walked, "the moment we're back on the ship I am going to fucking kill her!"

"I think you may be overreacting," Maia said patiently from beside her, the matriarch was busy tapping at her omni-tool as she studied the layout of the sewers, "at least she gave you her environmental suit."

"Yeah," Kyla agreed sarcastically, "so that she could go sight-seeing with Barbet! She's all heart that T'Soni!"

"They are trying to find out who is holding Shepard hostage and what is happening to her, they're not up there to have fun."

Kyla huffed grumpily, "If I know Barbet, the first place he'll look for information is the nearest bar."

"A very sensible place to gather local intel," Maia said calmly.

"Yeah, much better than being down here covered in-"

"Shh!" Egret cut in sharply. They all stopped dead, sending ripples splashing through the sewage.

"What is it?" Kyla muttered.

"Energy signatures up ahead," Maia said, looking at her omni-tool, "we're nearing the section under the base, I suspected it would be defended."

"There can't be guards down here," Kyla said.

"Not guards," Maia agreed, "it looks more like…"

"Turrets!" Egret exclaimed just as a bleep and an ominous click told them that something had locked onto them. Egret erected a barrier around all three of them as an explosion of gunfire rang out and a hail of bullets bounced off the shimmering biotic field.

"Fall back!" Maia commanded and they backed hurriedly down the tunnel, their movements were slowed by the sewage – and their attempts not to trip and fall head-first into it – but Egret's barrier held until Maia pulled them into the shelter of an alcove. Egret let the barrier fade and Kyla let out a long breath.

"Well. They can't be that advanced if it took them that long to lock onto us, how many are there?"

Maia checked her scans, "At least eight."

"Fuck."

"I can handle them," Maia decided, rather over-confidently, Kyla thought, "while they're targeting me, you two slip past into this tunnel," she indicated on the scans, "there's a complex network of tunnels under the base, split up and find Shepard. Your omni-tools should pick up her implants when you're close enough to her so she'll be easy to spot. And stay in contact with me."

"Oh sure," Kyla muttered, "provided you don't get your head blown off," she nodded down the tunnel towards the turrets, "I don't care how fucking brilliant you think you are, going up against eight turrets on your own is madness."

Maia graced her with the gentlest of smiles, "Have a little faith, Kyla. And take these," she handed both Kyla and Egret a small, rectangular box. Kyla squinted at it and realised what it was.

"Explosive charges?"

Maia smiled, "In case you need to blow a hole in anything."

…

Jules paced back and forth in front of Samara, deep in thought as the asari watched on in silence, "You have _no_ idea where she is?" she paused to ask.

"None," Samara agreed, resulting in a deeper frown and the pacing resuming, "I know she's not in this base and I doubt she's in the city."

Jules looked round, "Then you must have some idea."

"There are some space stations in orbit that Cadeyrn controls, he could be keeping her on one of those, or on a ship. There are also other domes on Piares, none of them are cities but some are in use, I believe Cadeyrn owns two of them."

"Have you ever tried to find her?"

"Of course. I've recruited several allies in the past among Cadeyrn's guards or even the other fighters. Some of them betrayed me, others were caught and killed."

"Mm," Jules mused, "he runs a tight ship then."

"Indeed."

Jules sighed in frustration and rubbed at her eyes with her palms, "It seems like a lot of trouble to go to just to get you to fight for him. Are you really that important to him?"

"No. I'm just the added bonus, it's Falere he wants."

Jules looked round sharply, "Why?"

"He knows what she is."

That took Jules aback and she straightened up, "He knows she's an ardat-yakshi?"

Samara nodded, "The name is little more than a myth in this area of space now, Falere is likely the only one alive. All the others were killed or corrupted during the war and if there have been any born since, I have not encountered them."

"How does he even know what an ardat-yakshi is?"

"He has an interest in Thessian history, he enjoys collecting relics from our past."

"Mm," Jules agreed distastefully as she thought of the sculptures in his throne room, "I've noticed. Where does he get them from?"

"Thessia, mostly. He has freighters that can get past the satellite network somehow, he uses them to steal eezo from the surface and to smuggle whatever treasures his people can find."

"I was on one of those freighters when I was captured," Jules agreed thoughtfully, "it had been high-jacked and the eezo had been stolen back off him."

Samara quirked her brow, "Stealing from a thief? Enterprising."

"Any idea who could have done it?"

Samara shrugged wearily, "He has any number of enemies, and as I said, the gangs who opposed him still exist, they are simply weakened."

Jules thought back to what Kyla had said about a gang war, but she shook the thought off in favour of more pressing ones.

"I still don't get why he wants Falere."

"He is a collector," Samara replied simply, "and she is unique."

"You're saying he's keeping her like some sort of display piece? On show in a cabinet somewhere?"

"Perhaps," Samara agreed, "he may also wish to exploit her power. He has… hinted that he wants to unlock her abilities, he believes he could have an ardat-yakshi assassin at his command. He is a fool. But if he coerces Falere into killing, even just once, she won't be able to stop."

Jules grimaced at the idea and memories of Morinth flashed into her mind. Morinth had been clever and bold, she had known who she was and what she wanted and she had never apologised for it. It was admirable, in a way, but she hadn't been in control. From the moment Jules had looked into her bright, feverish eyes she had realised that Morinth wasn't embracing her nature, she was a slave to it. It was hard to imagine Falere in the same way.

She shook her head, "From what I remember of Falere, she's pretty strong-willed. She'd die before she let him use her."

"I hope so," Samara said, "but I would rather neither happened."

Jules sighed, "Then we have to do something, don't we?"

Samara might have been about to reply, but she was cut off by another, hushed voice that echoed up from somewhere, " _Psst!_ _Shepard! HOI!"_ Jules frowned, trying to work out where it was coming from, _"Down here!"_ Samara touched her arm and she followed the asari's gaze to the round grate on the floor. Jules frowned, checked none of the other fighters were paying attention in the next room and then moved over to kneel by the grate.

As she peered through, she saw a figure crouched in the darkness below, her face lit up in an environmental suit, "Kyla?" she hissed as the asari waved and flashed her a grin, "Where the hell _are_ you? And how did you get there?"

"Sewers," she replied, "run under the whole city, fucking maze down here, I've spent ages going in circles."

Jules shook her head, "Why?"

Even through the shadows she saw Kyla's face drop, "Er, cos I really fancied a swim? I'm breaking you out, you idiot. You know, for being a galaxy-renowned hero you're a bit slow on the fucking uptake sometimes! Gimme a sec, I reckon I can blow a big enough hole in this floor to get you out."

Jules hesitated, glancing back at Samara whose face was unreadable, "No," she said.

"Eh?" Kyla asked, she already had an explosive charge in her hand and was about to place it on the grate.

"Change of plan, go back to Liara and tell her that I'm staying for now."

Kyla's eyes widened incredulously. She almost looked scared, it was quite comical actually, "You want me to tell your girlfriend that I left you in here? She's already nearly bitten my head off when I told her we'd lost you!"

"Shepard," Samara interjected calmly, "you don't have to do this."

"I'm not leaving you in here Samara, and taking you out isn't much of an option yet, is it?"

Samara waited for a second and then nodded, "Thank you."

"Samara?" Kyla questioned, peering up through the grate to try and get a look at her, " _The_ Samara?"

Jules ignored her, "Tell Liara that Cadeyrn is keeping an asari called Falere hostage and he's trying to exploit her… unique talents. She'll understand. Tell her to find out where he's holding her and then to get word to me."

"Who the fuck is Cadeyrn? And what 'unique talents'?"

"Just do it, Kyla."

Kyla looked like she was about to argue, but then she relented, sighing as she rolled her eyes and reached inside one of her pocket, "You better take this then," she said, passing her a spare communicator up through the bars, "I'm not wading through waist high sewage again just to pass notes between you and lover girl."

With that she squelched off into the shadows, sarcastically muttering something about her and Liara. Jules doubted it was complimentary.

She tucked the communicator into her pocket and looked back at Samara. The asari was scrutinising her quietly, "Do you have a plan?" she asked softly.

"Course," Jules lied, "I always have a plan. I just don't quite know what it is yet."


	24. Echoes

_Chapter Twenty-four – Echoes_

Liara had seen a lot of seedy bars in her time. The one she and Barbet found in a side street near to the base was far from the worst she had ever been in. It was small and dingy and the smell of alcohol and gunmetal was tempered by that of alien sweat but it was fairly quiet. There were only a dozen or so people here, clustered in small groups and conversations were kept at a low murmur.

There was a group of half-drunk turians at one table and a pair of salarians at another, exchanging fast, urgent whispers as their large, keen eyes darted about feverishly. Three batarians were seated in the far corner and Liara noticed Barbet's eyes were briefly drawn to them before he looked away and headed for the bar. It was staffed by two asari who both had their backs to them as they watched something on a screen on the wall.

"It can't really be her, can it?" one of them was asking, the other one snorted.

"Course not! Have you ever known a two-hundred-year-old human?"

"Good likeness though, right down to the eyebrows."

"What about her eyebrows?"

"I always thought they were kinda sexy."

As Liara got closer, she could see they were watching a fight taking place in an arena. Jules' red hair stood out from the screen like a beacon and she sighed quietly. It never ceased to amaze her how quickly Jules could find trouble, she seemed to follow it like day followed night. Of course, day and night didn't tend to catch up with each other and get into a fight until only one of them was left standing, she mused grimly as she reflected on the analogy.

Then her eye was drawn to Jules' opponent and she frowned, "It can't be…"

Barbet looked at her, "What's wrong?"

"The asari she's fighting, it's Samara."

" _The_ Samara?" he asked, "From the stories."

Liara nodded, "Unless there's another Samara no one's told me about."

One of the asari behind the bar noticed them and turned, "It's not live," she said, nodding to the screen as Liara continued to watch, "no bets. Feel free to put money on any of the others though," she gestured to several other screens all around the bar and Liara saw that each one was showing a different fight in a different arena. It seemed arenas were quite the profitable industry in this city.

"What can I get you?" the asari asked. There were two problems with this question, firstly Liara had no idea what people would typically ask for in this part of space, and secondly she also didn't know what they used for money, and whether she and Barbet had any.

Instead of answering she smiled and leaned forward on the bar, "We're after some information."

"Mhm," the asari returned her smile knowingly, "new around here, are you?"

"You could say that," Liara agreed.

"What do you want to know?"

Liara hesitated. The asari was a lot older than she was, probably a matriarch. In the old days her age would have awarded her a position of great power, in this new world she was apparently stuck behind a bar. She thought briefly of Aethyta but the memory stung and she dismissed it.

Instead she nodded to the screen where Jules and Samara were beating the living daylights out of each other, "Who runs that arena?"

"Wow," the asari looked round to confirm which one she was indicating to, "you really are new, aren't you?"

The explanation they got was lengthy and Liara and Barbet found themselves having to nod knowingly whenever names or factions were mentioned that they were supposed to know about. From what Liara could gather, there were two levels to this city. This lower level was controlled by mercenary gangs, one of which was dominant and controlled by a human called Cadeyrn – the one who was holding Jules.

This part of the city was full of arenas and bars like this one where people could bet on them endlessly. All this funded the top level of the city, where people lived more normal lives working for businesses, paying rent and raising families. The people they worked for and paid rent to, were heavily involved in everything that went on down here, a fact the general public either didn't know or didn't care about.

From the way the asari told it, there were arenas up there too but no one ever died in them and the fighting was tamer and often scripted. Even so, this whole society had been built and funded around the sport.

She watched the fight between Jules and Samara conclude with one fist clenched on the bar as Jules was dragged away by two guards. Samara's involvement in all this made her suspicious.

She had always been uncomfortable around the justicar. She knew that she and Jules had been close, she had felt their friendship though her melds with Jules and she respected it. But there was something _cold_ about Samara. Something… distant, unreachable.

Perhaps it was the knowledge that she had killed her own daughter. Even knowing what Morinth was, it was still unsettling to think of a mother taking her own child's life. The fact that she had used Jules as bait to do it didn't help. Liara had watched Morinth's death play out through Jules' memories and it had chilled her to the core. Whatever Samara was doing here now, Liara didn't trust her.

They ended up with two drinks on the house as a welcome to Piares. Liara was also pretty sure the two asari were hoping that a few drinks would encourage them to place some bets, they probably made more money on that than anything.

As they were left alone, Liara noticed Barbet was watching the batarians again, his expression somewhere between glum and thoughtful.

"I didn't know if we'd see any batarians in asari space," Liara said gently, trying to break whatever conflict was going on in his head.

He turned to smile at her sadly, "They might be the only ones."

She nodded in understanding, "Are there many of you left now?"

Before she and Jules had left on the Normandy, batarian numbers had been dwindling in the galaxy. She had lost track of what had been happening with them more recently. Barbet's heavy sigh was answer enough.

"The trouble with my people is, we love conflict too much. Always competing with each other, striving to be the best and kill anyone in our way. We tried to retake our home world and all that happened was a massive civil war that killed more of us than it saved. But you don't need me to tell you about that, you were alive when it happened."

"Yes," Liara agreed, "Jules and I were still working with the HTA back then, the _old_ HTA, we tried our best to intervene but…"

Barbet chuckled, "Don't worry, I know how stubborn my people are. Most of those who are left are in the Terminus now, killing each other in pointless feuds. The HTA's probably clearing them all out now they've taken Omega."

"Did you grow up in the Terminus?"

He shook his head, "My mother got away from all of that, went to Earth, that's where I was born. She was a doctor."

"Really?" Liara hadn't intended to sound as surprised as she did and instantly regretted it, "Sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's alright," Barbet grinned, "she never minded people being surprised, I think she enjoyed the attention."

Liara smiled and looked away, "How many batarians are there on Earth?"

He shrugged, "More than you'd think. Most of them are like my mother was, they're trying to build a new society for us. They arrange pairings between people to ensure there's enough children to survive another generation. They're not marriages or anything, you don't even have to live together so long as you get a few kids out."

"You have children?" Liara realised.

"Nine," he replied, "four different mothers. They range from fully grown adults to toddlers, youngest's only two."

Liara smiled, "Do you keep in touch with them?"

"The older ones, yeah. Their mother and I were… close. The others didn't warm to me so much. Raising the kids isn't actually part of the deal and their mothers didn't want me involved," Liara frowned, that didn't seem right somehow but she didn't say anything. Attitudes towards parenting were quite individual for each species and she knew very little about batarian ideals.

"I still keep an eye on them though," Barbet continued, "what they're doing and where they're living. Even if I don't see them, I'm still their father."

Liara was reminded of Aethyta for the second time that day and she sighed, wondering if there was some reason her own father's memory was being so persistent.

"Nine children is a lot of birthdays to remember."

"Tell me about it," he agreed, "what about you and Shepard? Ever thought of extending the family?"

She laughed at the idea, "No. I like her too much to want to share her."

Her omni-tool bleeped and she looked down to see Maia was calling her. She activated the comm, "Go ahead."

" _We're back at the sewer entrance,_ " Maia said, " _Can you meet us here? There's been some… developments_."

…

Jules and Samara had fallen into silence as they sat side-by-side on the bench. They had both always been content in silence, neither of them needing to fill the gaps with small-talk. It was one of the things Jules had liked about spending time with her on the Normandy. It was always nice to find someone you could talk to, but the real test was finding people you could be silent with and still enjoy their company.

In this particular instance, however, she had fallen silent because she was thinking.

"How do you know Falere's still alive?" she asked as her brain mulled through possible ideas to get them both out of this mess.

"Cadeyrn lets me talk to her via a comm link," Samara replied, "though only when he allows."

"And she's never dropped any hints to where she is?"

"I don't believe she can," Samara replied, "I get the impression she's being threatened when she speaks to me."

They went quiet again and eventually Jules' thoughts wandered to other things, some of them were helpful, most of them weren't. It surprised her when it was Samara who broke the silence next.

She made a slight intake of breath and then asked: "You and Liara?" she had no doubt picked up on Kyla's little rant about them, still Jules was surprised she would comment on it.

"Quizzing me on my love life?" she queried, "That's new, it was always me hounding people with personal questions."

Samara peered at her, a glint of amusement lighting her pale eyes, "Consider this payback."

Jules chuckled and shrugged, she was frankly happy for the distraction from thinking herself in circles, "We were always close. After the war we just… got a bit closer. It started when you were still on Earth, I'm surprised you didn't pick up on it at the time."

"I did."

"Oh."

"You've been together ever since?"

"On and off. We went our separate ways for a while after the galaxy started getting back on its feet but we just seemed to keep ending up in the same places." she cleared her throat, "And the same bed. Then we stole the Normandy and ran away together," Samara cocked her head inquisitively but Jules waved it off, "long story."

Samara went quiet for a moment before she continued, "I am glad," she stated, "you are not someone who would thrive being on their own. With a lifespan as long as ours, it can be hard to find a constant in your life."

"Mm," Jules frowned, "Tevos said something similar, that's why she wants Thessia back. I think she's trying to reclaim the past."

"Then she may be disappointed. The past is gone, for other races whole generations have passed and this is their home now. Forcing our past on them would destroy the world they have built. We would be as bad as the reapers."

"I hadn't thought about it like that," Jules admitted.

"In many ways, we asari are accustomed to moving on and accepting the people we lose. But as a society, we struggle to keep up with the galaxy as it changes around us. We want it to stay static and familiar."

"That used to frustrate me about you lot," Jules agreed, "kinda understand it now," when she thought of how long she had stubbornly clung to the Normandy, trying to pretend nothing had changed, she realised she had no right to judge anyone for doing the same. What had surprised her most was how quickly a century could pass when you chose to waste it. She sighed heavily.

"Did _you_ thrive, being on your own?" she asked to direct the conversation back at Samara, "You spent almost four hundred years with no one."

She waited a while before she answered, not unusual for Samara but the way she was squinting made it seem like she was conflicted.

"I would once have said I was… content," she decided at last, "though now I am not certain that is true."

"It's not like you to be unsure of yourself."

Samara's eyes brightened with a smile, "I was once sure of everything, until I joined your crew."

Jules paused, trying to read more behind those eyes, as always they gave little away, "I don't follow."

Samara's smile softened and she looked away, "The thing I noticed most about humans while I was living amongst you is that you question everything. Every ideal and principle, from the ones you were raised with to those of other races and cultures. You challenge every fact or statement that is put to you, even from those who are wiser or more powerful than you are. You question yourselves daily, your own beliefs and views and moral code, never afraid to look for new ideas or angles or to change your own point of view.

"For centuries I had accepted the way things were without questioning. I accepted that Morinth had to die and that Rila and Falere had to be kept isolated from society. I accepted every line of the code and every harsh reality that the life of a justicar forced on me. It never occurred to me to challenge any of it.

"Travelling with a crew of people who refused to ever accept anything without debate made me reflect on my own life and for the first time in four hundred years, I began to wonder if there could have been another way."

Jules blinked, staring at her, "You never told me any of this."

"I spent many years thinking it through, it wasn't until after the war that I realised the full effect your crew had on me."

Jules grimaced, she knew Samara had a lot of regrets but she always seemed to have found a way to be at peace with her life. It must have been hard to have that snatched away, "I'm sorry."

"Do not be. It was rather gratifying to realise the galaxy still had things to teach me. I learned much from your crew."

Jules nodded softly, "Well, we learned a lot from you too."

"Samara!" the voice was Connor's and they both turned to see him and Paige making their way through the other room, drawing looks from the fighters as they passed them. Realising their conversation had been abruptly halted, Jules shifted a few inches away from Samara on the bench. She didn't want it to be obvious that they knew each other.

Paige and Connor entered the medical room and for a second Connor looked between them, as though wondering what they were both doing there. Rather than asking, he simply cleared his throat and turned to Samara.

"The boss wants to speak to you," he told her, he straightened up as he said it, placing both hands behind his back. Jules noted from his voice that it was merely a statement, not an order and he looked remarkably like a soldier reporting to a superior. He respected Samara, that much was obvious, and worth remembering.

Samara considered him blankly for a moment and then accepted with a nod, "Very well," she looked at Jules briefly but said nothing before she stood and left. Connor watched her as she passed and made to follow but Paige stayed put.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, pausing in the doorway to look back.

"Nothing," she replied, when that didn't get rid of him, the asari folded her arms, "I want to talk to Shepard."

"Why?" she didn't answer and eventually Connor just snorted and rolled his eyes, "Fine. Do what you want."

With that he left, leaving Jules and Paige alone; though Jules noticed they had the attention of several of the other fighters in the next room. Paige ignored them.

She still had her arms folded and was watching Jules with and unwavering stare. Jules held her gaze and waited for her to say something.

"I know I'm right about you," she stated bluntly.

Jules blinked, "Ri-ight."

"You _are_ Commander Shepard," she reiterated, "aren't you?"

"What makes you so sure?"

She shrugged, "Your face is hard to forget. I've got no idea how you can be here, but you wouldn't be the first impossible thing I've ever seen. There were a lot of those during the war."

Jules chuckled, "Yes there were."

Paige's face dropped, "So I _am_ right?" she asked, suggesting she hadn't been half as sure of herself as she'd made out. She stared for a moment, then her brow creased and she shook her head, "What are you _doing_ here?"

Jules made a point of looking about the filthy medical room, "This is where the guards brought me."

"You know what I mean."

Jules feigned ignorance, "Not sure I do. And even if I did, why should I trust you?"

She shot a look back at the other fighters and then slowly moved closer, "Well," she said carefully, "if you really _were_ the real Shepard, maybe I'd be willing to help you."

Jules narrowly averted rolling her eyes. Convenient offers of help were rarely of much use to her, if they weren't traps they were usually just incompetent, "Why would I want your help?"

Paige shrugged lightly, "I could get you out of here."

"I don't want to get out."

"What?" Paige glared at her and made a point of rolling her eyes skywards, "Now you're just being childish."

"I'm being serious," Jules corrected her, the poor girl had probably planned this whole conversation out so perfectly, likely imagining herself as some kind of heroic conspirator, "I don't want to get out of here… yet."

Paige was looking at her sceptically, "You know, after all the stories I've heard about Commander Shepard being a courageous hero who takes no crap from anyone, this isn't what I expected from you."

"But you _did_ expect that I would need _your_ help to break out of here?" Jules raised an eyebrow and Paige hesitated, apparently unsure how to respond, "It was kind of you to offer and everything but if I wanted out I would just leave."

Paige stuttered for an answer, perhaps she was annoyed that the great Commander Shepard wasn't living up to her reputation. Jules didn't really care, "I'm not messing about you know!" she hissed sharply, casting a glance towards the other fighters, "If Cadeyrn found out I was doing this he'd throw me in that arena with you!"

"Then why risk it?"

"Because you saved the galaxy and I'm grateful!" she said it angrily like it should have been obvious, "Isn't that reason enough?"

Jules watched her calmly. She might have been telling the truth. If this was some kind of trick it was a sloppy one, not that it really mattered either way.

"You really want to help me?" she asked, "There's one thing you could do."

Paige eyed her cautiously, "What?"

Jules leaned in, "When the fighting starts – and it almost always does – just make sure you're shooting at the right people."

…

"I don't believe I'm hearing this," Liara could cut an impressively intimidating figure when she put her mind to it, Kyla reflected as the doctor stood in front of her, straight-backed with her hands locked firmly on her hips. There was fire gleaming in her sapphire eyes which were hardened in a frown, "of all the rescue missions I have ever been part of, this sounds like it would have been one of the easiest and _still_ you came back without her!"

"Chill out, babe," Kyla retorted, rubbing a finger against her temple where she was starting to develop a distinct headache, "what did you want me to do, tie her up and drag her out of there? And anyway, you'll never guess who was in there with her."

"Samara," Liara stated. It wasn't even a question, she knew she was right.

Kyla let her hand drop dramatically to her side and scowled, "Alright, how the hell do you know that?"

Liara folded her arms, her expression one of smug arrogance as she clearly decided not to tell her, "You know something, babe?" Kyla snapped, "You are really starting to get on my-!"

" _Perhaps_ ," Maia interjected coolly, while flashing Kyla a warning look, "we would all benefit from remaining calm and focussing on the matter at hand."

Liara seemed to concede to that and nodded wearily, "What did she say to you?"

Kyla sniffed, resisting the overwhelming urge she had to be petty and childish in her response, "Something about an asari called Falere, she's being held captive and she wants you to find out where she is."

"Falere?" Liara suddenly became quiet, her defensive stance dropped and she took an unconscious step back as her eyes fell to the floor, searching the shadows as though there were answers there. She looked disturbed as she frowned into space. Kyla exchanged glances with the others, none of them seemed any the wiser.

"You know her?" Kyla asked at last.

Liara looked up, still frowning as though only vaguely aware of what she had been asked, "She's Samara's daughter."

That still didn't mean anything to any of them.

"Did she say anything else?" Liara asked.

"Only that the guy who has her – Cadeyrn? I think she said – wants to use her 'unique talents', whatever that means."

"Goddess," Liara closed her eyes briefly, "in that case we need to find her, I'll contact Ereba, ask her to monitor all comms in the city for any mention of Falere. The rest of us should ask around more here, see what we can learn."

"I take it this is a priority," Maia said carefully, watching Liara closely.

"Yes," Liara agreed, though she didn't explain further as she tapped at her omni-tool, "c'mon."

She turned and strode out of the alleyway. The others all looked at each other, exchanged a few shrugs and then Maia and Egret followed her. Kyla made to move too but Barbet caught her by the arm.

"Hey, kid," he said in an undertone, then nodded towards Liara, "what is it with you and her?"

Kyla shrugged like she didn't know what he was talking about, "What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb, I've never seen anyone rile you up as much as she does. What's the problem?"

His three good eyes were narrowed at her and she realised he probably knew her better than anyone else did these days. Still, she shrugged the question off, "She just gets under my skin."

He didn't believe her, but he nodded anyway, "Well try and rein it in a bit, okay?"

Kyla scoffed, "I wouldn't worry. It'd be hard to offend someone as cold and heartless as her."

…

Samara entered Cadeyrn's throne room without knocking, partly because she knew she was allowed such privileges and partly because she had no desire to show him any respect.

He was sitting forward in his throne, pouring over a large, leather-bound ledger that was open in his lap. He preferred handwritten records to digital ones, for someone to steal the ledger they had to physically get into the building which was arguably more difficult than hacking a system. Two hundred years after the Crucible had fired, computers were still crude and unreliable in this part of space.

He looked up as she entered, his beaded braids chinking softly. He looked her up and down, his narrow eyes peering intensely as his mouth twisted into a smile.

"You look marvellous, Champion. Quite majestic."

Samara held his gaze coolly and didn't respond. He liked everything to look just right. He adorned his elite followers with jewels and finery so that he might flaunt his wealth before the city. He had dressed her up in the same way, her purpose was to look intimidating and glorious in equal measure, to inspire awe and strike fear into her audience.

She would never admit it to anyone – not even Shepard – but some small part of her had always enjoyed the majesty of being a justicar. Having every head turn when she walked through a village, having villains blanch when they realised what she was and beg her for mercy. Making dramatic entrances to save those in need before vanishing without even a goodbye.

It was no doubt some foolish echo of the headstrong maiden she had once been, when she had sought thrill and adventure beyond all other things. But when Cadeyrn flaunted her in front of the crowds to inspire the same reaction in them, she found no pleasure in it. Indeed, it was quite disheartening.

So she remained silent and stared him down, waiting for him to speak again. He held her gaze without flinching, his smile still fixed in place. He had never shown any sign that he felt threatened by her. He was brave. He was also a fool.

"I hear you followed Shepard to the fighters' quarters. Any reason why?"

Samara cocked her head, "She was a worthy opponent, I wished to congratulate her."

He scrutinised her carefully, his body swaying ever so slightly from side-to-side as he considered her explanation. Humans were always moving, always fidgeting no matter how subtly. They could be quite exhausting to watch.

"I know you travelled with the real Shepard," he said after a time, "I also know that the woman I captured is _not_ her. It's impossible."

"Indeed," Samara replied impassively. He must at least have suspected that she might be, otherwise he wouldn't be questioning her but she had no intention of engaging him in a conversation about it.

"It may be useful for you to befriend her, however," he continued, "she was found on board one of my freighters and has given no explanation of how she got there. I believe she's from the other side of the relay. I would like to know why she's here, if you can find out. She's quite the mystery."

Samara narrowed her eyes, "Is that why you called me here?"

His face darkened slightly and he flicked the ledger shut before leaning back, "No. I have another job for you first. Do you remember Eisheth?"

Samara assumed he didn't need her to respond. Eisheth was one of the gang leaders who had opposed Cadeyrn, an asari as heartless as she was cunning. From what Samara remembered of her, she was _more_ than just cruel. She was sadistic. Samara had nearly killed her once but she had gotten away; that was just before Cadeyrn had captured her.

"She's been rebuilding her forces," Cadeyrn explained, "the freighter that Shepard was on, Eisheth raided it, stealing all of the eezo and a unique artefact my people had recovered from Thessia. The eezo is unimportant, I can always get more. But I want that artefact."

Samara blinked, "You're sure she was behind the attack?"

"She has just sent me a very gloating message claiming responsibility."

"Then she may be intending for you to retaliate. It could be a trap."

Cadeyrn grinned sinisterly, absently playing with the golden rings at his fingers, "I have every faith in you, Champion."

Samara considered him quietly, "What is this artefact?"

"An ancient tome. They say it's written in prothean."

History wasn't exactly Samara's specialty but even she knew that was unlikely. She didn't say as much though, "I haven't spoken to Falere in over a week."

He nodded softly, "Recover the artefact and I'll let you speak with her. She's quite well, I can promise you that."

His assurances brought her no comfort, but the knowledge that Shepard was close at hand and formulating a plan gave her more hope than she'd had in years. Even if something happened to her, Shepard would get Falere to safety.

She gave Cadeyrn a curt nod, "Consider it done."

…

Barbet followed his asari teammates through the murky back streets, keeping one of his three eyes on Kyla. He knew there was something going on with the kid, something that would probably get her into trouble. Most things did with Kyla.

Maia was at the front with Liara, subtly trying to get information out of her about this 'Falere' – whoever she was. Liara was staying tight-lipped, however; she kept saying it was important they rescue her, but she wouldn't reveal any more than that. From her earlier reaction, Barbet couldn't shake the feeling this was more than just an old friend who needed help.

His thoughts were interrupted by the distant echo of gunfire, followed by yelling and the other familiar sounds of a firefight. Liara held up a hand to stop them and then led them on again at a jog, headed towards the danger, naturally.

They weaved through the streets until they drew nearer. The crack of a pistol rang out dangerously close and Liara stopped and pushed her team back into the shadows of an alcove.

A bout of laughter echoed off the dank walls and ahead of them, a group of asari emerged from an alleyway, dragging an injured turian behind them. They laughed as they threw him to the ground and seemed to briefly debate how to finish him off. Until one of them got impatient and put a bullet through his head at close range, immune to his panicked pleas. After that they wandered away, chatting and laughing carelessly like girls on a night out.

"What did I tell you?" Kyla murmured quietly, "Gang war."

If Barbet didn't already believe her, he defiantly would have done when they entered the street the asari had left. It was completely deserted apart from the bodies, about a dozen or more were strewn around having suffered variously messy deaths. It was clear their attackers had no respect for their dignity.

Most of them were in light leathers while others were in blue armour, "These look like the guards we saw patrolling the base," he said, crouching by a leather-clad salarian. As much as they were dressed for combat, they all sparkled with jewels and piercings and even their weapons were decorated like fashionable accessories. The others must have been their rivals. Most of them were asari but he noticed one was a human boy. He looked young, probably a teenager, and was curled up into a ball in a pool of crimson blood. Maia moved over to kneel beside him.

"He's still alive," she called back to them, bringing up her omni-tool. Whatever the scans told her, they made her face fall and she shook her head, "there's nothing we can do."

"We can always do something," Liara replied, moving over to join her. She knelt at the boy's back and took hold of him, gently easing him onto his back until he was resting in Liara's arms. He was a bloodied mess, shaking and whimpering quietly like he didn't have the strength to scream or cry.

"Shh," Liara soothed gently as she stroked the matted strands of hair back from the boy's face, "it's alright, I have you, everything's going to be alright."

She continued to mutter comforting nonsense as she took the boy's hand and Barbet watched in amazement as her eyes seemed to flicker black.

"Is she melding with him," he asked no one in particular.

"Yes," Kyla answered quietly. His first assumption was that Liara was forcing the meld onto him to extract information. This struck him as incredibly cruel and – from what he knew of asari attitudes towards melding – extremely unethical. Then Kyla spoke again, "she's blocking the pain receptors in his brain."

As he watched he saw that the meld wasn't causing the boy any distress, instead it seemed to act as a soothing balm. He stopped shaking so much and his breathing calmed as Liara nestled him closer.

"See?" she whispered gently, "That's better, isn't it. Everything will be alright. I promise."

Barbet looked round at Kyla, who was watching the scene grimly, "Cold and heartless, huh?" he murmured at her. She glanced at him sideways and shifted uncomfortably but didn't reply. They watched on in silence as the boy died cradled in Liara's arms.

…

Liara held onto the meld as long as she could, holding back the pain and staying with the boy to the very end, even as he was slipping away. It wasn't the first time she had melded with someone who was dying. It was an odd experience, a dying mind was in turmoil, a chaotic mix of fear and confusion. Liara had done her best to soothe it all, offering a comforting presence without going too deep. Just because the boy was dying that didn't give her the right to go digging through his memories so she kept the meld shallow, just enough that he knew she was there.

But then, as death approached, a strange calm seemed to descend. All fear and rationale faded and the mind spurned logic and reason and embraced the impossible, much like when slipping into a dream. The thoughts became hard to interpret as they faded and then there seemed to be an exact moment of perfect clarity before they evaporated into nothingness.

Liara never knew what to make of it. Whether it was the mind glimpsing some tranquil afterlife or just the subconscious stepping in to ensure you didn't die afraid. All she did know was that when the meld slipped out of her grasp it left a cold, hollow feeling in its place, as empty as the body she was now holding.

She blinked groggily as her mind became her own again and tried to shake off the unease the meld had left her with. As her vision cleared, she found Maia gazing at her quietly.

"That was kind of you," the matriarch said softly, "not many asari would do such a thing for a stranger. I'm not sure if I would have."

Liara shrugged the praise off as she eased the boy out of her arms, "He was just a child."

"Did you learn anything about him?"

Liara gazed down at the bloodied face, retracing her way through his last moments, "His name was Liam. He wanted his mother."

Maia nodded softly, waited a moment more and then stood, "His comrades left him here to die. Whoever Cadeyrn's enemies are, they don't care much for honour, or loyalty."

"Falere is still our priority," Liara told her and also stood, "we need to learn more about this Cadeyrn," she looked down at the dead guards, "there must be somewhere his men drink together, if we can get to some of them, we might learn more."

She looked up at her team. They had all gone quiet after witnessing the boy's death; even Kyla didn't have a snarky retort for her, "We'll do better if we split up, Kyla can come with me, the rest of you go together."

Kyla looked surprised, uncomfortable even, but she didn't argue. They split up and went their separate ways. The echo of Kyla's footsteps was the only sound she made as Liara led her away from the carnage and through the back streets. It was unlike her not to comment on everything they passed or try to spark up a conversation every five minutes but Liara didn't complain, she wasn't really up to chatting right now.

The essence of the boy was still echoing around her head like a persistent melody she couldn't shake. He was a stranger to her and yet she had touched his mind and seen him through the hardest moments of his life. Now he was like an intruder in her thoughts, clamouring for attention. Melds, no matter how shallow, were _never_ without consequence. He was part of her now, and always would be. She would reflect on it later though, right now there were other things to think about.

The sound of voices led them to a wider, busier street than most of the others they had seen down here. It wasn't exactly a high street but it was definitely a main thoroughfare. There were several shops and bars and people chatted casually to each other outside of them. It was still dank and grim and there were still a lot of weapons on show but it looked like a good place to find leads.

It was at that moment that Kyla decided to clear her throat and speak, "So," she started, like she'd been working her way up to this, "what you did for that kid back there," she paused, Liara looked round at her but Kyla didn't make eye contact, "that was… I mean, not many people would…" she trailed off and sighed angrily at herself, "you did good."

Liara waited, but that seemed to be all she had, "Okay," she said distractedly as she looked around the street for somewhere to start.

"And," Kyla continued, "it's made me think that I might have… maybe… been a bit harsh on you, sometimes."

Liara frowned impatiently, "Where are you going with this?"

"What?" she looked confused, "Nowhere. I'm just trying to… I was just saying… urgh! Can't you even accept a fucking apology?"

Liara raised her brow as she looked back at the asari, "I haven't actually heard one."

Kyla seemed to think about saying more, then shook her head dismissively, "Forget it."

Liara should have just accepted that and carried on; but there was something about Kyla. She always seemed to be on the cusp of saying something important, and always she'd just smirk and wander off instead. Liara had picked up on her simmering resentment more than once and she was curious as to where it came from, "You've started now, you might as well carry on."

Kyla's eyes narrowed sharply, like something was about to snap inside her, "You think you're so much better than everyone else don't you?"

Liara tilted her head. There was a dam of anger swelling behind Kyla's eyes and it was threatening to break but Liara wasn't going to rise to it, she just wanted to know the cause of it, "What gave you that idea?"

"You! Looking down on everyone that comes within ten feet of you! How many times have I tried talking to you? I'm lucky if I get two words out of you before you turn your back on me and walk away! I guess you think you're too good to need friends!"

"I'm sorry if I offended you," Liara stated calmly, "I had no idea I was so important to you."

"You're not!" Kyla snapped.

"Then why does it matter if you and I are friends? Why do you even care?"

Kyla laughed bitterly and shook her head, "Yeah, why should I want to talk to someone who's so superior to me? You know what? You are exactly like your mother was!"

Liara settled her weight onto one leg and folded her arms. The emotion coming off Kyla was palpable and she could feel her own pulse quickening as her body subconsciously prepared for conflict. Outwardly she kept herself calm, "You knew Benezia?"

"Briefly. She didn't like me either. Didn't think I was good enough to set foot in her precious palace. I should have known you'd be just like her. When I first met you, I was stupid enough to think I might see something of _my_ mother in you. I know that's not how it works, asari don't inherit traits from their fathers. But I thought there might be _something._ "

She went suddenly quiet and looked away, a flush rising in her cheeks as she realised she might have said too much. But the dam had broken now, and there was no way to undo it.

Liara said nothing as the realisation set in. The reason why Kyla sometimes seemed familiar, why she seemed to hold some kind of personal grudge despite the fact they'd never even met. And why she'd been so often reminded of her father recently. She almost laughed.

"Aethyta," she realised, "you're Aethyta's daughter."

Kyla chewed harshly on her lip as she studied the ground. Eventually she plucked up the nerve to meet Liara's eye and she shrugged, "Hello sis."

* * *

 ** _I reckon most of you had already figured out that plot twist by now, so well done :)_**


	25. Deal with the Devil

_Chapter Twenty-five – Deal with the Devil_

For a moment, Liara and Kyla simply stared at each other. They were several feet apart, arms folded like an argument was about to break out between them. Then Liara frowned softly and turned away.

"We have work to do."

It was a moment before Kyla reacted and Liara briefly hoped she wasn't going to. That she would just accept that now was not the time to discuss it and carry on as if nothing had happened. She should have known better really.

"Wait. That's all you have to say?" she heard footsteps jogging to her catch up and then Kyla was in front of her, barring her way. The anger had faded from her eyes and instead she just looked confused, hurt even. Liara refused to feel guilty for that.

She sighed, "What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know!" Kyla exclaimed, "But I thought you'd at least acknowledge what I've just told you!"

"I have. You're Aethyta's daughter. I understand. But now isn't the time."

"So when will be?" she demanded.

"Perhaps when we're not in the middle of a gang war," Liara suggested sharply, "and Shepard isn't being held by a crime lord, and we aren't trying to rescue an ardat-yakshi!" she flinched as the words left her mouth. As much as she was trying to stay calm, Kyla's revelation had rattled her and on top of that her meld with the boy was still nagging at the back of her mind, making it hard to focus.

She saw her words reflected in Kyla's eyes and the asari's face dropped. She looked around as though to check if anyone was listening and then took a step closer, "Are you fucking kidding me? The girl we're looking for is an ardat-yakshi?"

Liara briefly closed her eyes, "Don't tell the others. I don't want them prejudging her."

"You don't want them to prejudge a mind-destroying serial killer?" Kyla hissed incredulously, "Don't you think it might be a _good_ thing that she's locked up?"

"Falere isn't a killer," Liara shot back, "she lived in a monastery all of her adult life before the war, she's never murdered anyone."

"Know that for certain do you?" Kyla challenged, "I'm guessing you haven't seen her since the war, how do you know she hasn't changed!" in truth Liara had been wondering the same thing but she wasn't going to admit it.

"Because then Jules wouldn't be asking us to help her."

"You put a lot of faith in that human of yours!"

Liara felt her eyes narrow, " _Yes_ ," was all she said.

Kyla seemed to have no response to that though her stance didn't soften any as she continued to stare Liara down, her brow hardened into a glare.

It was at that moment – almost as though she had been listening in – that Liara's comm bleeped and Jules' voice interrupted them.

" _Liara. Are you there?_ "

Liara frowned, momentarily confused. Then Kyla sighed sullenly and explained: "I gave her a spare communicator, so that she could contact you."

Liara held her gaze but didn't comment as she responded, "Yes, Jules. I'm here."

" _How's it going up there? Did Kyla get back to you?_ "

Liara swallowed, "Yes," she desperately wanted to say more, to tell her everything that was going on right now. But it wouldn't have done any good. What she really wanted was for Jules to be here, standing between her and Kyla and saying something rational that would make things clearer. Throwing her a cocky grin and a wink that let her know all of this wasn't as big a deal as it seemed right now.

But she wasn't here. She was being held captive by a criminal and until they got her back, there were bigger things for Liara to think about than her own dramas. So she focussed on the matter at hand.

"I saw the fight, Jules. What's Samara doing here?"

There was a heavy sigh and Liara sensed that Jules was as conflicted about this as Liara was about Kyla, _"It's… complicated. She can't leave until Falere's safe and I'm not going anywhere without her_."

Liara frowned softly and made sure she kept her voice neutral as she asked, "Are you sure we can trust her?"

" _I know how you feel about her_ ," Jules said, " _but she's my friend._ "

"I know." Liara stated. She didn't say any more, determined not to give too much away in front of Kyla, "Is this Cadeyrn really planning on using Falere's…" she searched for the right word but none seemed to fit, "skills?"

" _Samara seems to think so. I don't know how he'd get her to do it, you remember how tough she was._ "

What Liara mostly remembered was how unexpectedly normal Falere had seemed, and how hard it was for her brain to connect that with the monster she was. Perhaps 'monster' was too harsh a word, but it was the only one she could think of.

"I wish you had let Kyla get you out of there," she said, unashamed to let the honesty slip into her voice.

" _I can do more from in here_ ," Jules replied. She must have picked up on Liara's tone though as she added, " _has something happened_?"

Liara caught Kyla's eye. The other asari was staring right at her, arms folded and eyes wary, "It can wait," Liara decided, "I'll be in touch as soon as I have anything."

The call ended and the uncomfortable silence resumed. Liara was usually happier when people were quiet but right now Kyla's usual chatter had been replaced with a cold and accusing stare.

"You're really just going to ignore this, aren't you?" she asked quietly, "Pretend I never said anything?"

Liara frowned, dismissing a twinge of guilt, "I don't see how your parentage has any bearing on the current situation."

For a moment Kyla seemed to doubt her and looked tempted to press further, then she just snorted grimly and shook her head, "Fine. Let's just find this girl – and hope she doesn't suck our minds out."

…

Samara stalked through the back streets as silently as the shadows that concealed her. There had been no time to talk to Shepard before she left on Cadeyrn's mission, and to do so would likely have aroused suspicion anyway. It was for the best that Cadeyrn didn't believe Shepard's identity, he would only view her as another museum piece for his collection.

According to Cadeyrn's information, Eisheth was using one of the smaller domes off from the main city as her base. There was only one entrance through a single, adjoining tunnel which would make sneaking in near impossible. Luckily, Samara had no intention of sneaking.

Eisheth's reappearance troubled her. She had picked up on increasing unease amongst Cadeyrn's lieutenants recently and now she knew why. Eisheth's gang had been the most powerful once. Back then her name had struck fear into all who called Piares their home, never spoken above a whisper for fear that alone might summon her.

It wasn't her power or her influence that people had feared, it was her methods. She was a sadist, a psychopath, and worse. Letting her get away was one of Samara's greatest regrets, she had always known she would come back eventually and now she seemed to be re-establishing her power.

As she moved through the maze of streets, she came across evidence of fighting. Some of Cadeyrn's people had fallen while in conflict with a mostly asari gang who were clad in blue. Samara knelt to examine some of the bodies and found Eisheth's old symbol painted on their breastplates – confirming just how bad the problem was.

Cadeyrn was hardly a just leader but since he had gained power the streets _had_ been safer, mostly because none of the other gangs had been strong enough to oppose him. That seemed to be changing now. If Eisheth managed to overthrow him, she would turn the city into her personal playground and no one would be safe here. She wondered if Cadeyrn understood how serious the situation was or if all he cared about was his ancient artefact.

She approached the tunnel entrance without warning or fanfare, giving the guards barely time to register her presence before she dispatched them cleanly. She shot out the surveillance cameras and snatched a keycard from one of the corpses. She wouldn't remain undetected for long but for the first room or two, she would have the advantage of surprise.

With the keycard in hand, she entered the base.

…

Liara pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to quell the sharp pain that was forming behind her eyes. It had been a _long_ day and it was far from over. Her body was trying to remind her that she hadn't slept since escaping from the HTA prison and she was attempting to ignore its pleas for rest. She'd gone longer without sleep before and been in far worse situations.

"You okay?" Kyla asked from beside her. The pair of them were lurking on a street corner, watching a small group of Cadeyrn's people as they loitered outside a bar. They looked shifty, their hands twitching by their weapons like they expected trouble. After witnessing the fight in the alley, Liara wasn't surprised. They seemed to be being systematically hunted down and picked off by the asari gang. Liara had been in enough warzones to know when conflict was brewing, the air tingled with it like the approach of a storm.

When she didn't answer Kyla's question, the other asari pressed further, "That meld must have been rough, you can admit if it's bothering you."

Liara closed her eyes. She didn't want to talk about the meld any more than she wanted an in depth discussion about her feelings. Staying quiet didn't seem to give Kyla the hint though, so she tried changing the subject instead.

"You said you met my mother," she blurted out, surprising herself slightly. Why had she said that? Of all the times and places to discuss it, this was not one of them.

Kyla cast her a sideways glance, "I thought we weren't talking about it," Liara really should have left it at that, but her curiosity had always been her biggest weakness and so she pressed Kyla with a stare until the asari relented, "Aethyta wanted me to meet her when they were getting married."

Liara waited, "And?"

Kyla shrugged, "And she didn't like me. Didn't think I was good enough to be part of her family."

Liara frowned as she watched her, she really believed it, "You're wrong. My mother wasn't like that. She didn't look down on people."

"You think I'm lying?"

"No. But sometimes, when you _think_ someone will dislike you, that's how you interpret their actions, regardless of what they really think. You did the same with me, didn't you?"

"So you're a fucking psychologist now? Great. You think I was just being paranoid? You don't know me."

"And you don't know me. From the sounds of it, you didn't know my mother either."

The look Kyla gave her was venomous but her previous anger seemed to have faded, instead she just looked miserable. Liara had no idea what she'd been hoping for out of all of this, but she was getting the distinct impression that she was a disappointment.

"You didn't seem too surprised when you found out who I am," Kyla muttered sullenly, "did Aethyta mention me to you?"

"She said she'd had daughters with a hanar," Liara replied. There was a pause until Kyla seemed to realise that was all Liara had for her.

"That's it? That's all she said? Fuck's sake! She told you more about my fucking father than she did about me!"

Liara hesitated, aware she had unintentionally hit a nerve, "I… know what it's like to have a difficult relationship with your mother."

"We didn't have a difficult relationship!" Kyla snapped, "At least… I didn't think we did. Can't believe she didn't even tell you my name."

She said the last bit quietly, almost like an afterthought she hadn't meant to say out loud. She looked upset, hurt. Liara phrased her next question carefully.

"She did say _daughters_ ," she ventured cautiously, "plural. Do you have other sisters?"

Kyla grimaced and threw her a cold glare, "I thought we had work to do."

…

Eisheth's people fell before Samara like children facing their first true opponent. She had no interest in being subtle or clever as she tore through each room without pausing, her pistol remaining holstered at her side as she dispatched her foes with biotic waves that sent them flying before they could even register her presence.

After taking care of the initial guards, she moved swiftly through the base with little interruption until she found a door that was marked 'security'. Her keycard didn't open it so she charged a biotic fist and punched it until the metal warped and buckled and the door crumpled inwards.

There were four asari inside, Samara biotically snatched the weapons from their hands before they could react and then caught them in a biotic field, throwing them as high as the ceiling would allow before smashing them back down to the floor.

Two of their necks broke on impact while a third was knocked unconscious. The fourth had enough resolve to stagger to her feet where Samara neatly smashed her back into the wall and she finally fell still. Samara crossed to the security console and brought up the base's main logs.

She found the records of the attack on the freighter. Eisheth's people had jumped it halfway through its return journey, stealing several tonnes of eezo along with the artefact. She would need the eezo if she was planning on taking over the city again and Cadeyrn was the only one whose ships could sneak past Thessia's defence grid. No one knew how he did it, not even his pilots.

According to the records, the eezo had been taken down to a lower storage area but the artefact was being guarded in a main room on this level. There was no information about what it actually was but she was sure it wouldn't be difficult to spot. She brought up a map of the base and studied the route, then she stood and swiftly left.

By now the whole base was aware of her presence and squads of guards were being dispatched to greet her around every corner. Few of them proved much of an obstacle for her but it was still gratifying to be using her skills against real foes again, not prisoners forced to fight her in the arena.

When she reached the room she needed she found the corridor deserted and the door unguarded. She could _feel_ the trap waiting for her inside like insects on her skin and she readied her barrier. The door opened for her as she approached and revealed a sizable, rectangular room on the other side.

There was little in it, save for several display cabinets arranged symmetrically on either side, mostly displaying weapons and armour. The ceiling was high and a balcony overlooked the whole room, the perfect vantage point for the asari guards who were standing there, their weapons raised in her direction.

They were a secondary thought, however, as Samara's immediate attention was drawn to the two automatic turrets waiting at either side of the door. She raised both fists as she heard them charge and directed two burst of biotic energy. The turrets exploded into debris and Samara prepared for a fight.

The guards opened up on her and a torrent of bullets shimmered off her barrier. She ignored them, using her biotics to propel her into a somersault up onto the balcony. She landed in front of one of the asari guards, snatched the rifle out of her hands and smashed it into the startled girl's jaw before tossing it carelessly aside.

Bullets were still ricocheting off her harmlessly as she turned to the others. She picked up the nearest one in a biotic hold and threw her back into a line of the others. Across the other side she caught sight of a rocket launcher being loaded and she neatly jerked it out if its owner's hands, sending the asari tumbling head-first over the railing.

She was grabbed from behind by the first guard she had disarmed and she reacted swiftly, ducking out of the hold. She spun to face the girl, punching her first in the gut and then in the jaw. As she hit the floor, Samara pinned her, charging her hand with biotics as she gripped the girl's throat and prepared to finish the job.

She was stopped abruptly by the callous sound of laughter ringing out across the room. The sound of gunfire died as the guards stood down and Samara heard a new set of footsteps entering the room below.

"Oh c'mon Sammy, you big spoil-sport!" a voice taunted her, "If you're going to do a job, you might as well make the most of it. Hit her again! It's not a proper kill if you don't make them squeal!" a fit of childish giggles followed the statement and Samara listened intently, determining the newcomer's position by the sound of her movements.

"What you waiting for justicar?" the voice sang sweetly from below. Samara looked down at the girl. She had her head turned away but her eyes wide open, her whole body was trembling in Samara's grasp as she struggled to cling to her resolve in the face of her inevitable death.

Samara hesitated and then released her. She dragged the girl back to her feet, earning her a glare of both mistrust and resentment from the younger asari.

"Go," Samara advised her calmly.

She frowned for a moment, glancing uncertainly down towards the newcomer. Then she met Samara's eye; whatever she saw there, it was enough for her to turn and stagger hurriedly towards the nearest door. It was a shame none of her comrades had the sense to follow her.

"Yeah, go on, run!" the voice called playfully, "Don't worry Samara, I'll kill her later for you."

Samara turned slowly and gazed down on her foe. Eisheth was crouched on a square table in the middle of the room, clutching a large book to her chest. Her keen eyes were dancing feverishly as she grinned up at her, her head cocked in a manner some would find disturbing.

"Looking for this?" she tapped the book with a finger. It looked old enough to be the artefact and from here its cover seemed to be carved from blueish-green metal. Samara stepped up onto the balcony railing and let herself fall forwards, her biotics slowing her decent until she landed neatly on the floor.

Eisheth shrank back a little, her expression turning gleeful as she looked Samara up and down and giggled softly, "I always hoped we'd see each other again," she said, genuine excitement creeping into her voice as she tossed the book down and jumped off the table to stand before her. She was shorter than Samara was but she didn't seem to let that intimidate her.

She looked and acted no different from how Samara remembered her – soft and youthful and deceptively innocent. She was older than she seemed, however, and it was a fiendishness that gleamed in her eyes, disguised as childlike enthusiasm.

"I've seen _every_ one of your fights in the arena," she added, like she was nothing more than an eager fan, "if I'd known that you were going to become a famous celebrity the last time we met, I'd have asked you to sign my arm," she pulled back her leather sleeve to reveal the skin of her arm and held it up in offering. But instead of producing a pen or something similar, she unsheathed a combat knife from her belt, offering it to Samara hilt first.

Her eyes glimmered with mischief as Samara gazed at the knife impassively. She had little interest in games and no intention of engaging in this one. After a moment, Eisheth sighed and slipped the knife back into its sheath.

"Still not chatty, then?" she took a step forward, coming closer than most people would have considered to be polite. She gazed up and down Samara's length and raised her hands as though about to touch her shoulders, then she seemed to think better of it and stepped back again with a delighted laugh, "I was sooo excited when I saw you on the security feeds! I knew he'd send you after me one day, if I made a big enough noise."

Samara raised her brow, "Am I supposed to believe all of this was for my benefit?"

Eisheth hummed playfully, "Don't flatter yourself, sweetness," she moved slowly around Samara's back, circling her like a predator. By most species' standards she wouldn't have been considered restless, but for an asari she was as jittery as a drug addict. Samara suspected there was an obvious reason for that.

"I want my city back," she said as she came back into view, "getting to meet you again is just the icing on the cake. I enjoyed our last encounter, you nearly killed me," she stopped and stared Samara dead in the eye, her mouth twitching into a smile, "have you come to try again?"

"No," Samara answered, "unless you get in my way," her gaze fell to the book discarded on the table, "which you seem to have done."

She chuckled and spun on the spot, darting around the other side of the table and leaning forwards over it. She tapped the cover of the book and smiled, "Does he want his tome back? Do you even know what it is?"

"I do not need to."

"Urgh!" she rolled her eyes like a spoiled child and hopped back onto the table, kneeling in front of the book, "Aren't you even curious? Come and have a look."

Samara didn't move as Eisheth flicked open the cover but from where she was she could still see the writing that filled the pages. She didn't recognise the markings, they certainly didn't look like any of the ancient asari languages she knew of.

"It's prothean," Eisheth whispered as though to add some gravity to the revelation.

"That seems unlikely," Samara told her, "a prothean artefact like this would have disintegrated into dust by now."

"So you _are_ interested," Eisheth said, seemingly pleased with herself, "it was written – or rather, transcribed – by an asari. One of the first ever historians to study the protheans. She copied down every single piece of prothean writing she found throughout the entire Athena Nebula. _Physically_ wrote it down," she gestured to the pages again to emphasise, "all other prothean research was stored digitally, wiped clean when the Crucible hit. All that ancient knowledge lost."

Samara frowned, she shouldn't have been engaging in this conversation at all but she couldn't deny her curiosity, "Why are you interested in it?"

"Oh c'mon!" she snapped, like Samara's ignorance suddenly annoyed her, "Think of all the knowledge that could be stored in here! Secrets. Schematics. Prothean tech. If only we could find someone who could read it," her demeanour shifted again and she tiptoed her fingers down the pages, "they say Commander Shepard could read prothean," she commented idly, "some kind of cypher in her head," she paused as though waiting for Samara to respond. She didn't.

"On a totally unrelated note," she added, "I saw your fight earlier. _Very_ interesting opponent. You almost lost to her," she smiled in a way that would have been pleasant on most people but was disturbing on her. Samara had had enough of being goaded.

"Give me the book," she stated, as she stepped forward Eisheth snatched the book away, placing it childishly behind her back.

"Why should I? Cadeyrn has no right to it. Do you know where he got it from? His people blew a hole in the side of a vacuum-sealed vault on Thessia. A vault that survived the war and is _full_ of treasures like this, stored there for millennia," for a moment she almost looked sincere, as though such a violation of historical artefacts actually offended her.

Samara frowned suspiciously, "How do you know this?"

She shrugged, "When my people attacked his freighter, they brought one of the crew back with them," a sinister gleam crept into her eye, "I took _all_ of her memories. She'd had a miserable life, poor thing. I almost think I did her a service by killing her."

Samara saw a ripple of unease move through the asari still on the balcony. Eisheth's preferred method of killing had always been to delve into her victims' minds through a meld before mentally torturing them to death. Even some of the cruelest asari who had ever lived would have found the idea repulsive.

To kill someone through such an intimate meld meant that you felt the pain you were inflicting on them for yourself. Only a particularly dark and twisted mind could manage to find pleasure in it. It wasn't quite the same as how an ardat-yakshi killed, some would argue it was worse.

Samara didn't give her the satisfaction of looking shocked or disgusted, instead keeping her expression neutral as Eisheth continued.

"He is stealing _our_ heritage from _our_ home world just to put it on display in that garish base of his and _you_ are helping him," she pointed an accusing finger at her before her expression melted into a soft smile and she shifted onto her hands and knees, crawling forward across the table towards her.

"Poor Samara. He has you on a _very_ tight lead, doesn't he? Like a puppy who won't get fed if she doesn't behave. If only we could break his hold on you," she straightened up so that they were eye-to-eye, their faces so close they may as well have been touching, "I always liked Falere," she continued casually, "sweet girl – not like you. As pretty as she is deadly… or, _potentially_ deadly at least. In fact, I liked her so much, I decided to keep an eye on her," she rested her arms on Samara's shoulders and leaned in closer, like a lover seeking affection, or a hunter springing a trap, "Cadeyrn's moved her about a lot to keep you from finding her. But I _always_ know where he's holding her, the poor lamb."

Samara had heard enough, in a sudden and swift movement she raised her hand and grasped Eisheth's throat, pushing her face back from her own and tightening her grip just enough to cause considerable discomfort. She heard the click of weapons as the guards on the balcony reacted and every rifle pointed at her. She paid it little heed.

Eisheth chuckled as though she was enjoying herself, "Hit a nerve have I? I know where she is."

Samara increased her grip and pushed her back further, "Do _not_ lie to me!"

"I'm not!" she held up both hands innocently. She was far from incapable of fighting back but still she made no move to free herself. She glanced up awkwardly at her guards and smiled, "They'll kill you if you hurt me."

"Your faith in their skills is optimistic to say the least," Samara stated, "you realise they're more scared of you than they are of me? Your death would only free them."

"Is that right, girls?" Eisheth challenged, raising her voice towards the guards, "Are you all hoping she'll kill me?"

A few people shifted uncomfortably but no one spoke. That was telling enough on its own.

"You treat your people the same way you treat your enemies. Like playthings. How many have you tortured and violated for your own amusement?"

She hummed softly as though considering, "Almost as many as you've killed in Cadeyrn's arena, probably," Samara tightened her grip again until Eisheth choked, though it still didn't stop her from laughing, "I know where she is, Samara. Get her back and you won't have to obey Cadeyrn anymore."

Samara felt her eyes narrow, her nails were digging in to Eisheth's neck, creating beads of violet blood against her skin, "Where?" she asked coldly.

"So you believe me now?"

"WHERE?" she repeated more loudly.

"Why bother asking?" Eisheth challenged, "You could just…" she tapped her own temple, "take it. It's more fun than you might think."

"I will not stoop to your methods, child. Tell me where Falere is!"

"Child?" she barked a laugh, "Oh I like that," she held Samara's gaze for a long while before she spoke again, "If I tell you, you'll let me live?"

It was an odd thing for a woman in the heart of her own base, surrounded by her own guards to feel she had to bargain for her own life. Samara knew it was another one of her games but right now Falere was more important.

"I will."

"Ha!" Eisheth chuckled in victory, "She's on _Myriad_ , Cadeyrn's biggest base in orbit around the planet. He has a private museum up there. Falere's one of the exhibits."

Samara released her and she coughed slightly, wiping the blood from her neck and examining it almost curiously, "If you have lied to me, I _will_ kill you," Samara warned.

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't," Eisheth smiled, "now all you have to do is get out of my base alive, find a ship and get to Falere before Cadeyrn kills her because you've disobeyed his orders. Tell you what, I'll give you a three second head start. One..."

Samara looked up to where the guards all had her in their sights, awaiting Eisheth's order.

"Two…"

She took particular note of the loaded rocket launcher that had been retrieved by one of them and was pointed right at her.

"Three!"

Samara ran.


	26. Twice in One Day

_Chapter Twenty-six – Twice in One Day_

Jules lurked in the doorway of the medical room, peering out into the main room beyond. She was aware that she was being avoided, the glances the other fighters were throwing in her direction ranged from suspicious to wary to downright hostile.

She didn't know whether all new arrivals got this treatment. Perhaps it was because Samara had shown such an interest in her, they obviously feared and resented the justicar in equal measure, not viewing her as being one of them. Taking that into account, their suspicion became understandable; this probably all looked like some elaborate setup by Cadeyrn to get a spy in amongst them.

It was a shame, really. She doubted there was any love lost between the fighters and Cadeyrn. By putting his prisoners in an arena and forcing them to fight and train every day, he was basically raising an army in the heart of his own base of people who completely despised him. They could be good to have onside, if Jules could just figure out a way to earn their trust.

Inevitably at some point she was going to have to break out of this place, it was always good to get started on the escape plan early.

" _Shepard,"_ Jules jumped about three feet in the air and clasped a hand over her pocket with the communicator in as Samara's voice emanated from it. She checked quickly to see if anyone looked like they had heard and then ducked fully into the medical room and ripped the communicator out.

"Christ Samara!" she hissed angrily, "I could have been in front of one of the guards!"

" _I apologise,_ " Samara replied. She didn't sound particularly apologetic.

"Why are you calling me?" Jules demanded, "Where the hell are you?"

" _In a shuttlecraft. I've stolen it from Eisheth, another gang leader in the city,_ " there was a pause and what sounded like laser fire followed by a system overloading, " _she's rather unhappy about it._ "

In a previous life Jules might have asked for explanations, by now she had learned it was easier just to roll with it, "Alright, what do you need?"

" _Eisheth told me where Falere is, I'm going to get her now, before Cadeyrn has a chance to hide her from me again._ "

" _What_?" Jules checked over her shoulder to make doubly sure no one was listening in, "Samara, you've spent the last six years sitting on your hands while you tried to figure out a way to rescue Falere, what's changed?"

There was another pause and more gunfire, " _Events have a habit of accelerating when you're around, Shepard. It must be a gift._ "

Jules grimaced, "That's one word for it."

" _Falere is on one of Cadeyrn's space stations. It's the largest one in orbit, you can't miss it. I'll meet you there."_

"And how the hell am I supposed to get up there from here?"

" _Cadeyrn has a private shuttle at his base._ "

"Wonderful, I'm sure he'll let me borrow it if I ask nicely."

" _Please, Shepard._ " Samara implored her, " _I need your help. I… had little time to formulate more of a plan than that._ "

"You're winging it," Jules corrected her, grimly, "I was a bad influence on you, wasn't I?"

" _Shepard…_ "

"Fine, fine. I'll figure something out. Just try not to take down the entire base before I get there, I'd like to claim some of the glory," she shut the call off before Samara could respond and slumped back against the nearest wall. It looked like her barely-formed escape plan was about to be brought forward and there wasn't even time for a quick power nap.

Sighing heavily, she reactivated the comm, "Liara? Change of plan, you need to get me out."

…

Liara grinned despite herself as she heard Jules' voice. She and Kyla were still struggling through awkward silences broken only by occasional, stilted conversation as they both tried to avoid the topic of their shared parentage. The thought of having Jules back with her brought more relief than she'd expected.

"I'd be glad to, should I send Kyla back to the sewer?"

"What?" Kyla's head snapped round to look at her, "No way. She had her chance, I'm _not_ wading through those tunnels again."

Liara glared and was about to tell her exactly what she was going to do and how she was going to like it or get left behind on this planet, but Jules interrupted her, " _It won't be as easy as that, Falere's on a space station. We need a ship."_

"We've got one," Kyla stated bluntly, "it's called the _Janiri._ Remember?"

Liara cleared her throat, "We need environmental suits to get back to it and we only brought the three."

Kyla rolled her eyes, "Well that was good planning."

" _There's no time anyway,_ " Jules cut in, " _Samara says Cadeyrn has a shuttle at his base. I think it's our best bet._ "

"You sure about that?" Kyla challenged, she wasn't letting Liara get much of a word in, "His base is _under_ another city."

Liara looked up. The streets of the upper city criss-crossed above them but it was hardly a roof, there were plenty of gaps where a small shuttle could take off through and then you only had to reach the docking port and get out through the dome, "She's right," Liara muttered.

"Thanks," Kyla agreed, making Liara look at her sharply.

"Not you. Jules is right, crime lords always have escape plans and a shuttle is the most likely one."

" _Good,_ " Jules agreed, " _so, you up for an assault on the base_?"

"I thought we'd already established, that's suicide," Kyla protested.

" _Not if I find a way to help you._ "

Liara waited, "What are you thinking?"

" _Get everyone together and get ready, then contact me._ "

The call shut off before Liara could question her further, not that she needed to. Kyla looked at her and shrugged, "What does that mean?"

She grimaced, "It means she hasn't thought of anything yet."

…

Paige glared at the door to Cadeyrn's throne room as the guard outside opened it for her. She stepped through and found Cadeyrn hunched forward in his throne as usual, his elbows resting on his knees as he gazed pensively at the floor.

His braids framed his face squarely as he glanced up at her, taking a moment to just stare quietly. He was probably gaging her appearance, judging whether she was well-dressed enough to consider herself one of his people. Apparently she passed as he leaned back and spoke.

"Ah Paige, do come in," he gestured in front of him and she stepped further into the room.

"You wanted to see me?" she asked.

A smile flashed in his eyes, "Yes. Connor says that you had a chat with our new guest."

Paige resisted rolling her eyes. Connor had always been particularly bad at keeping his mouth shut, his tendency to run to Cadeyrn with every bit of information and gossip was making him increasingly unpopular in the base. Paige couldn't tell whether his boneheaded loyalty was because he admired his uncle or because he was shit-scared of him.

Paige herself had never found Cadeyrn to be particularly intimidating. The worst he ever did to anyone was to throw them in his arena, more concerned about making a profit off his enemies than actually punishing them. In the days when the old gangs had ruled Piares, Cadeyrn had been the one least likely to get you killed if you worked for him.

Paige knew she was more use to him as a merc than in the arena so all-in-all she wasn't too worried as she answered him, "Yes. I was curious about her."

"Did you discover anything useful?"

"No. She still won't explain how she got here, or why she came."

"Mm," Cadeyrn turned away, his pale eyes lingering thoughtfully on a towering stone asari who was gazing down on them, her painted eyes cold and accusing. Paige had no idea who the statue depicted. She'd never been that interested in Thessia's history, personally; she had always found Cadeyrn's fascination with it hard to understand. It wasn't even his planet.

"Do you still believe she's the real Shepard?" he asked softly, his voice deceptively gentle.

She hesitated, sensing she was being led into a trap, "I'm… not sure," she lied, "she's not what I expected," that bit was true, at least.

A grim smile ghosted on Cadeyrn's lips, "She can't be the real Shepard, it's impossible. But she is from outside the Athena Nebula."

"That's hardly unheard of. People do come through from the Terminus."

"Into the Vernio System, yes. How many of them end up here? This close to Thessia? Do you think she could be a spy?"

Paige frowned, "A spy who got herself captured and talks like a mad woman?"

"But fights like a champion," Cadeyrn stood and wandered over to a display case full of his ancient trinkets, Paige wondered idly how much money and lives he'd spent retrieving them from Thessia's surface, "she could have beaten Samara today, I'm sure of it. It's made me think, having only one champion whom no one can match seems wasteful. We should have a league of champions, people will pay double to see them fight each other."

Paige watched him indolently as he outlaid his latest scheme. She had no interest in it, she was happy enough to get paid and not die, she didn't need to care about her boss's pet projects.

"Speaking of Samara," he looked suddenly back at her, forcing her to stifle the yawn she had been about to indulge in, "have we heard from her since she left for Eisheth's base?"

Paige straightened up, feeling her spine tingle uncomfortably at Eisheth's name. There was someone who _was_ worth being scared of, "Not yet. Was sending her really a good idea?"

"Eisheth isn't the power she used to be," Cadeyrn said dismissively.

"She's getting stronger though, our people are encountering her squads all over the city and they're attacking on sight. We're losing good men to her. I think she might be planning something."

"If she wants a war, she only has to ask," Cadeyrn stated, "she's no threat, Paige. I assure you."

Paige didn't comment. It was often hard to tell whether Cadeyrn really cared about his empire, he so often seemed to dismiss the threats it faced then at the last moment he would spring into action and remind his enemies who held the power. It was equally hard to tell whether that made him stupid or subtly clever. Paige had no choice but to trust that he knew what he was doing; if Eisheth managed to overthrow him, the whole city would suffer for it.

Cadeyrn looked back at her with a frown, as though he'd forgotten she was there and was now wondering why she was in his throne room. He was erratic like that, Paige was used to it.

He blinked at her and then said, "You can get back to your duties now."

Having been duly dismissed, Paige nodded and left. She found Connor waiting in the corridor outside, fidgeting restlessly. He looked up when she appeared, eyeing her warily.

"Hey," he stated, "did he want to talk about Shepard?"

Paige raised her brow, "Yes, he did." she waited a moment, then aimed a sharp slap at his head, "Prick. What did you tell him for?"

"Oi!" he snapped as he ducked away from her hand, she still got the hit in though, "Why shouldn't I have told him? You don't have anything to hide do you?"

"Just because something I do isn't criminal, that doesn't mean I want my boss to know about it! You ever heard of privacy?"

"Not in this base," Connor shrugged, "what did she say to you, anyway?"

"That's not your business any more than it is his."

Connor watched her for a moment, probably unconvinced. She didn't care, she wasn't the type who regularly felt the need to explain herself.

"What are you doing here anyway?" she asked, "You weren't waiting for me, were you?"

He shook his head, "I'm here to see the boss, some kind of fight's broken out in the fighters' quarters."

…

Jules dodged to the left as a locker came flying in her direction. It hadn't been aimed at her. At least, she didn't _think_ it had. It was hard to tell what with all the fighting and the yelling and the fact that all the fighters were trying to kill each other and the guards who were trying to pull them apart.

Cadeyrn was right about one thing, most of them did seem like criminals rather than innocent prisoners. Jules had soon realised that getting them onside would have taken time and patience – two luxuries she couldn't afford. Getting them to turn on each other, however. That had been easy.

She couldn't quite remember what had actually set it off. She'd thrown a few insults around, goaded a few people and the rivalries that had already existed between them had become obvious. Then all she'd had to do was manipulate them. Ten minutes later, chaos ruled.

It was a good distraction, probably good enough to let her slip out unnoticed. The unfortunate downside of her plan was that there was now a large, very angry horde between her and the door, bad planning on her part really but she _was_ having to think on her feet.

She surveyed the scene, trying to find a gap she could slip through. A heavy set turian was making the most trouble, beating back anyone who came within his reach. She was pretty sure it was him who had thrown the locker. He was starting to piss off the others enough that they were all turning on him. Some of the guards were trying to get between him and the horde but they were only in danger of getting themselves crushed.

The door opened and more guards appeared, pausing to get a look at the mayhem before joining the fight. There seemed to be very little strategy in their approach but they had armour and weapons which gave them the advantage.

Jules recognised Paige amongst them but unlike the others she didn't dive into the fight, instead hesitating as she glanced around the room. Jules hadn't really expected to have to call her in on the promise she had made, but she was low on other ideas and figured she had nothing to lose.

She jumped up onto a bench and used the height to cross the room without getting caught up in the fighting. She hopped back to the floor beside Paige and pushed the asari back against the wall, startling her slightly but she didn't resist.

"You still grateful I saved the galaxy?" she asked sharply.

Paige cast a glance around the room, "I'm starting to wonder. Is all this your doing?"

Jules ignored the question, "Are you still willing to help me?" she pressed.

Paige eyed her uncertainly, "Why?"

"Cadeyrn's private shuttle, where is it and how do I get there?"

She frowned, "It's on the roof, but it's protected by a security system, you'd need Cadeyrn's codes to fly it."

"That's alright," Jules grinned, "I know a girl who's good at hacking computers, we just need to get her inside."

Paige seemed to wince internally, "Shit, Shepard. When I offered to help you, I wasn't expecting…" she trailed off, her eyes wandering down to her holster. She groaned when she saw it was empty and her own pistol was instead in Jules' hand, angled upwards towards her heart.

"I told you to make sure you were on the right side when the fighting started," Jules warned her softly, "now, who do you think has the better odds here? Cadeyrn, in the heart of his own base with an army of mercenaries at his command, or me?"

"Is that a serious question?"

"Deadly."

When making threats like that, there was a fine line between sounding convincing and sounding stupid. Jules must have fallen on the right side of it as Paige closed her eyes and thudded her head back against the wall, "What do you need?"

"The turrets at the main entrance, can you disable them?"

The asari opened her eyes again and sighed, "Maybe? I mean, I've never tried."

"But you know where they're controlled from."

"Yes, but-"

"Good enough," Jules looked behind her. Stirring up the fighters had seemed like a good idea at the time but now it wasn't making her life any easier. Most of the guards were in the middle of it, shouting above the noise as they beat back anyone who got within reach. A human man made a grab for one of their weapons and got a broken nose for his trouble, no shots had been fired yet but Jules assumed it was only a matter of time.

She looked over to the door, two heavies were standing in front of it, blocking any attempts to leave. Jules glanced down at the pistol she was holding, weighed up her options and then, when no better ideas occurred to her, she raised the gun and fired twice. She hit one in the neck, sending him choking to the floor, clutching the hole at his throat. The other one she got in the shoulder, not enough to kill him but she staggered him at least.

There was a moment of confusion as the guards tried to figure out where the shots had come from, more than enough time to give the prisoners their opportunity. They may have been half-naked and unarmed but they fell upon the guards like a swarm of rats, fighting with teeth and claws – and the odd well placed punch – to break free.

The noise became calamitous as the guards fell beneath them and Jules was able to duck around the edge of the room until she reached the door. It had been barred from the other side but a swift kick sorted that out and a cheer went up from the room as the prisoners rushed to claim their freedom.

Jules had to dive aside to avoid being crushed and watched as the startled guards outside were overpowered. The fighters continued up the stairs until they broke out into the arena and their cheering became a distant roar, echoing through the base.

As Jules listened, she realised grimly that she had just freed a bunch of criminals to fight a bunch of criminals. Probably not her finest moment but when needs must…

She looked around the now empty and eerily quiet room and saw numerous guards strewn about the floor, occupying various states between unconscious and dead. Paige was the only one still standing, staring down at the aftermath in mild disbelief.

"If Cadeyrn finds out I had anything to do with this," she muttered, "he'll rip my fucking throat out."

"I wouldn't worry," Jules dismissed, "doesn't seem like his style. He'll just throw you in his arena and let someone else rip your throat out."

"Thanks," Paige glowered, "are you this supportive to all your allies?"

"Allies?" Jules raised an eyebrow, "you work for a crime lord, we are a long way from being allies."

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realise your standards were so high. There was a rumour in the old days that you were friends with Aria T'Loak."

"Friends might be overstating it," Jules told her.

"Well, either way, maybe you should wait until _after_ I've helped you escape before you start criticising me on my life choices."

Jules was too used to being threatened for Paige's words to have much impact. She raised the asari's own pistol and levelled it neatly at her head, "Turret controls. Now."

Paige blinked and didn't move, "I offered my help willingly, you don't need to point a gun at me."

"You can never be too careful," Jules stated, "you strike me as the type who switches sides the moment the odds look bad," she indicated to the door, "move."

Paige frowned as though annoyed at Jules' character evaluation of her, then she sighed at stalked out of the room. Jules followed her, keeping her close as she pulled out her communicator.

"Liara," she started, making Paige frown at look round. She looked momentarily surprised when she saw the communicator but she didn't say anything, "where are you?"

" _Outside the main gate with the others,_ " Liara's reply came back, _"we've managed to stay out of sight. Do you have a plan yet?_ "

"Yes. Kinda. Half a plan. It probably won't work."

" _Fucking hell,_ " Jules heard Kyla mutter in the background, "this _is the woman who united the whole galaxy against the reapers?_ "

Liara softly cleared her throat, " _She used to be better at motivational speeches_."

"I used to lie a lot, if that's what you mean," Jules agreed, "how many guards can you see?"

" _Five. There were more but some of them just ran inside, they looked worried."_

"Yeah," Jules dismissed, "I might have started a riot."

" _Deliberately?_ "

"Sorta. How many turrets are there?"

" _Too many, even with biotics we'd struggle._ "

"They're about to go offline, when they do, make your move. I'll meet you inside the main door."

…

Liara shut off the call and heard Kyla huff beside her, "Does she _never_ explain a plan in full?" she grumbled.

"She expects people to trust her," Liara said, "with good reason."

"Yes, I know, 'saviour of the universe'! blah, blah, blah," Liara tensed, resisting several retorts as she peered out from their cover to keep a close eye on the front of the base. Pushing Kyla to the back of her mind was becoming increasingly difficult.

"There's no shame in showing respect, Kyla," Maia stated coolly "no one will think less of you," the whole team seemed to brace for Kyla's response but she stayed quiet, "no scathing retort?" Maia inquired, "You seem a little out of sorts, has something happened?"

"How is that any of your business?"

"We're about to fight alongside each other, I'd like to be able to trust that you won't get any of us killed by being distracted."

"None of us are getting killed," Liara muttered, "now be quiet and stay focussed. All of you," Kyla snorted and she was aware of Barbet and Egret exchanging a look but thankfully no one argued with her. Perhaps after two hundred years, Jules' knack for command was finally rubbing off on her.

At the main entrance, three of the guards were chatting hurriedly to each other while listening to reports being relayed over a communicator. She couldn't hear what was being said but the other two were watching on with worried expressions. Whatever Jules had done it must have been causing a stir.

The turrets, meanwhile, were still hungrily scanning the area, their barrels moving steadily back and forth, awaiting any intruders. Liara watched and waited, acutely aware of the rest of the team around her all doing the same.

Minutes passed and Kyla became increasingly restless, shifting position and grumbling softly. Liara felt the temptation herself but resisted on principle. The last thing she wanted was to prove that they were even remotely alike.

Eventually, there was an audible drain of power and the turrets stopped moving.

"Now!" Liara hissed and in unison they raised their weapons.

Liara's shot missed and sent the guards scattering into cover. Barbet took out one with a headshot as the others opened fire. The guard with the communicator began screaming into it, loud enough for Liara to hear this time.

"The main gate is under attack! We need-" he squealed as the communicator was shot out of his hand, Liara glanced behind her to see Maia calmly reloading her sniper rifle.

"Hmph," Kyla muttered, "nice shot."

Maia's only reply was a keen twinkle that lit up her eyes.

Liara planted a singularity above the guards, dragging them out of their cover so that they hung in the air as easy targets. Egret went one better, yanking one of them forwards with such ferocity that he was drawn out of the singularity's pull and came flying at speed over their heads. Kyla shot him as he passed, chuckling as he landed in a crumpled heap behind them.

The guard's message must have got through to someone as the main doors opened and a dozen more guards rushed out. Liara withdrew her singularity and the three caught in it promptly fell into the middle of the reinforcements. It caught them off-guard for a second and Liara made to break cover, planning to take the fight to them.

As she leaned out, the crack of a sniper shot forced her back and a bullet ricocheted off the ground barely a foot in front of her.

"Dammit," she hissed, scanning the upper windows for the sniper, "stay in cover."

She strengthened her barrier and fired a few shots into the guards, she hit at least two though not fatally. Barbet snatched a grenade from his belt, tossing it into the cluster of targets, "Heads down," he advised. The ensuing explosion sent the guards scattering and left a good number of them dead in the centre of the courtyard.

"Good work," Liara told him, then ducked back down as another sniper shot whistled past her head, "Maia, you need to take out that sniper."

"Yes," the matriarch agreed casually, "the thought _had_ occurred to me."

They continued exchanging fire, peering out from cover for only a few seconds at a time before the sniper forced them down again, "In your own time, _Matriarch_!" Kyla yelled sarcastically as she nearly lost her head to another bullet.

Maia's reply was a single shot of her own. The sharp _crack_ echoed around courtyard, briefly silencing the team until Maia confirmed: "He's down."

"Go!" Liara ordered and led her team forward into the fray.

…

Jules watched Liara and the others advance on a view screen in the security office. Two guards lay unconscious at her feet as she leaned forward over the controls she had used to shut down the base's turrets.

She looked behind her to where Paige was watching the corridor outside. Distant fighting could be heard further into the base but nearby all was quiet.

"They're about to get inside," Jules told her, making the asari look round, "I should get to the main entrance."

Paige watched her for a second and then nodded, "You can get to the roof through the elevator. There'll be no guards up there, only turrets. With them disabled you'll just need to crack the codes. Where will you go?"

"Why don't you come with us and find out?"

Paige snorted, "Cos I'm not stupid. In all the chaos, no one will know I was helping you, if I go with you there'll be no going back."

"Is working for Cadeyrn really that great?"

She shrugged, "No. But he looks after the people who are loyal to him. Or profitable. There are worse people who could have ended up in charge."

"So I've been told," Jules said with a sigh, "fine, you'd better go before someone spots you with me."

"Can I have my pistol back?"

Jules glanced at Paige's pistol holstered at her belt, "There's plenty of weapons in this base, I'm sure you'll find one."

She heard a soft chuckle, when she looked back Paige had gone.

She didn't encounter anyone as she moved through the base, the fighters seemed to be more interested in causing chaos than actually escaping and none of them had made it to the main door. The entrance lobby was deserted, all the guards having responded to one of the two crises. Jules heard fighting going on outside before the doors burst open and Liara and the others emerged, guns raised.

She raised both hands in mock surrender – and strengthened her barrier just in case – as she greeted them with a grin. They quickly relaxed and Liara jogged forwards to meet her, dragging her into a one-armed hug. She smelled of gunfire and sweat, like she used to after a mission on the Normandy.

"I swear you're getting captured more often than you used to," she muttered as she pulled back.

Jules shrugged, "Well I'm not as young as I used to be."

Liara brushed a hand across Jules' forehead, moving back the hair that hid some of the cuts and bruises she had gained in the fight against Samara, "Are you alright?" she asked, frowning, "Goddess, was she _trying_ to kill you?"

"Erm," Jules gave a nervous laugh, "maybe? I don't think so. It's hard to tell with Samara."

Liara looked away, giving the floor a cold scowl that was doubtless intended for the justicar.

"Promise me you won't get violent when you see her?" Jules ventured hopefully.

Liara glanced at her, "I'll do my best."

The sound of distant gunfire and an explosion drew Liara's attention and she frowned, "What have you done, exactly?"

"Just organised a small prison break," Jules dismissed, "that's two in one day. Impressive even for me, right?"

"The first one was more of a team effort," Kyla called, "where the hell are we going?"

"The roof. Follow-"

She was cut off by the crack of a shotgun as Liara pulled her down behind the cover of a desk and hurled a biotic attack at someone behind her. The rest of the team scattered and Jules peered over the desk to see Connor leading several more of Cadeyrn's men into the room.

She saw a glint of gold and recognised the shotgun he was holding as the one Grunt had given her, the one he'd taken off her in the freighter, "Bastard," she muttered, swiftly loading Paige's pistol.

"You won't escape, Shepard!" he called, making her roll her eyes in disgust.

"The amount of times I've heard that," she muttered in an undertone only Liara could hear, "after two hundred years of being taunted by bad guys, I really wish they'd come up with something more imaginative, it's getting boring."

"Imagine how Maia must feel," Liara replied dryly. She squinted over the desk to get a look at their attackers, "there's only six of them, we can handle it."

"Make it easy on yourself and come out!" Connor added. Jules grimaced.

"Oh now he's just embarrassing himself."

She leaned around the corner of the desk and aimed a shot; it deflected harmlessly off Connor's barrier, alerting him to where she was. It was the exact distraction the rest of the squad needed.

As Connor ordered his men forward, Maia and the others opened fire from the other side of the room, catching Connor neatly between the two of them. Jules could hear Barbet shouting orders, there was the crack of Kyla's shotgun, a burst of biotics and several seconds of gunfire before the room fell suddenly quiet.

Behind the cover of the desk, Jules and Liara looked at each other. They waited a second more, then peered out cautiously.

Three of the six lay motionless on the floor while the others must have made a run for it. Connor was still there, groaning softly but seemingly unable to stand. Barbet emerged from cover and walked over to him, nudged him experimentally with his foot, then bent down to pick the shotgun out of his hands.

He tested its weight curiously and then turned to Jules with a smile, "Yours, I believe?"

She stood as he tossed it casually towards her and caught it neatly, "Thanks, Grunt would have been angry if I'd lost this," she slipped Paige's pistol back into its holster, she much preferred the weight of a real gun in her hands again.

"There'll be more on the way," Liara said.

"Isn't there always?" Jules agreed, "C'mon."

The nearest elevator was in the next corridor, "I've been told there's no guards on the roof," Jules said as she led them through, "but the shuttle's systems are locked behind Cadeyrn's codes. I said I knew a girl who was good at hacking computers."

"Well," Liara reasoned as they entered the elevator and let the doors slide shut, "I'll do my best."

"Ah," Jules gave her a sheepish smile, "I was actually thinking of Egret," Egret's computer skills in the HTA prison had been impressive. Jules wanted to test just how good she was, and make sure it hadn't been a fluke.

Behind her, Kyla snorted, "Wow, awkward."

Jules hadn't expected Liara to react badly but she felt the asari bristle next to her and glanced over to see her face was set in stone. There was something odd in the air, a tension that hadn't been there before. Liara wasn't petty by nature, she certainly wouldn't have felt threatened by Egret's hacking skills so it must have been something else that was bothering her. The others had picked up on it too and everyone made a point of staying quiet.

A few long seconds of awkward silence later and the elevator came to a stop. The doors opened and they stepped out onto the roof. Jules had almost expected to feel the wind in her hair before she remembered this was a domed city on a toxic planet.

The city did feel different from up here though. Above them, the noise from the upper streets was loud and crisp as the crowds bustled close by overhead, oblivious to their presence. Below, the alleyways were laid out like a blueprint and it was immediately obvious just how much of a rabbit warren it was down there. The neon lights of bars and clubs gleamed on various corners while other, shadowy areas could hardly be made out at all.

Here and there gunfire flashed and distant shots and cries could be heard.

"There's a war brewing in this city," Barbet mused grimly.

"You give them too much credit," Maia told him with a smile, "This is a petty feud about to get out of hand, nothing more."

"Should we be worried that the first city we've encountered is run on gambling and crime and the closest they have to politics is gangs trying to overthrow each other?"

"That's how politics works everywhere," Liara said, "eventually they learn to dress it up behind procedure and red tape, but it's still the same principle."

Maia looked at her curiously, "You're very cynical for one so young."

Liara shrugged, "I've had an unconventional life."

Jules looked past them as they continued to gaze down on the city. The shuttle was on a landing pad in the centre of the roof, surrounded by turrets that were all powered down. As promised, there were no guards in sight.

"C'mon," she said, "before they get the turrets back online."

They headed for the shuttle at a jog. A basic keypad protected the door, easy enough for Liara to override. Once they were inside, Jules followed Egret into the cockpit; the young asari sat down at the controls and took a moment to look around.

"What do you think?" Jules asked.

"The security isn't too advanced, give me a few minutes."

"Can you fly this thing?"

"I think so. I can fly most shuttles."

"Hmph, that's quite an eclectic mix of skills you have there," Jules muttered. Egret gave her a nervous laugh, probably trying to figure out if it was a criticism or a compliment. In truth it was neither, Egret _did_ have a remarkable mix of skills for one so unsure of herself.

She didn't say anything though, it was better that Egret learned not to care so much about other people's opinions of her.

Something beeped and Egret frowned, "Someone's calling the comm," she glanced back, waiting for Jules' order. Jules stared at the flashing comm light warily for a moment.

"Answer it," she decided. Egret obliged.

"Shepard," Cadeyrn's voice filled the cockpit, gentle and melodic despite the underlying threat in it. He reminded her of Aria in that way, she had the kind of voice that could tempt a fly into a spider's web.

"You've found me," Jules gave Egret a meaningful look; she took the hint and promptly got to work.

"I hear you disabled my defences. I'm impressed. Was that little rebellion your doing?"

Jules watched Egret's hands flying across the controls as she worked through the codes, "Well, maybe if you looked after your fighters better they wouldn't be so easy to rile up."

"You got a lot of them killed, you know? Just so you could escape."

"I'm not the one who locked them up in the first place, but I'm sorry if I've put a dent in your profits."

There was a pause, long enough to make Jules worry, there must have been guards on the way up to them by now.

"Who are you?" Cadeyrn eventually asked.

"Take a look around your base, I think I've made it abundantly clear who I am."

"I refuse to believe that Commander Shepard has returned from the dead."

"Why? It wouldn't be the first time."

Another pause, shorter this time, "What are you planning on doing with my shuttle?"

"You'll find out soon enough," around her the cockpit lit up and Jules heard the engines come online, she glanced down at Egret who nodded silently, "I'll be back, Cadeyrn," she stated, "soon."

She shut off the comm, "Take off as soon as you can," she told Egret.

"Where are we headed?"

"Biggest space station in orbit, that was all Samara gave me. Call Ereba and tell her to get the _Janiri_ up there too. Tell her to stay cloaked but nearby, just in case we need a quick getaway."

"Yes, Shepard," she hesitated, "are we really coming back here?"

"Yes. But I'm not on some crusade to overthrow Cadeyrn if that's what you're thinking. He has freighters that can get past Thessia's defence grid and I want to know how he does it."

She turned away and headed back out of the cockpit as the engines warmed up fully and Egret urged them into flight. Jules caught hold of the doorframe as the deck shifted beneath her and a burst of speed sent them on their way.

In the back, the others had settled themselves on the plush leather sofas Cadeyrn had back there, more luxurious than most people would have in their living rooms let alone the back of a shuttlecraft. It was roomy for a shuttle too, bigger than the Kodiak had been. Just like Cadeyrn's throne room, it was crammed full of treasures and trinkets, none of which complimented each other and made the whole place feel garish and distasteful.

A fur rug covered the floor, skinned off some kind of large mammal, presumably from Thessia. The pattern was similar to a tiger but the colours were a mix of pinks and purples. Drapes covered the metal walls, too lavish for such a small space. The whole scene was an uncomfortable clash of colours and patterns.

Kyla was busy trying to crack open a gold-rimmed drinks cabinet while Maia was curiously examining a small metal sculpture, depicting two asari dancing, "I remember this artist's work from my childhood," she mused with a smile, "I was very young when she died, this could be over one thousand years old. No doubt Cadeyrn considers it an ancient treasure."

"Do you think he stole it from Thessia?" Barbet asked.

She answered with a gentle shrug, " _Stole_ is a matter of opinion. Does anyone truly own art or history? You could say that Cadeyrn is preserving these treasures."

Kyla snorted, "Yeah, I'm sure he's doing it out of the goodness of his heart."

"Even if his intentions aren't sound, if the result-"

But Kyla was having none of it, cutting Maia off with an exasperated sigh, "Listen babe, me and you are going to get on a lot better if you stop trying to drag me into pointless philosophical arguments. Now why don't you make yourself useful and help me get this thing open?" she gestured to the drinks cabinet. The lock was dented from her attempts to prise it off but she was making little progress.

Maia blinked at it, then sighed and gave a wave of her hand. Biotic energy shimmered around the cabinet before the entire door abruptly came loose and fell to the floor with a crash.

"Hmph," Kyla commented, "thanks," she grabbed a bottle of something and joined them back at the seats.

Throughout all of this, Liara stood apart from the others, leaning back against a jewel-encrusted cabinet that was probably priceless. Her eyes occasionally wandered to Kyla; she would watch her for a while, then frown and stare at the floor, conflict creasing her features.

When the others were distracted enough by their own conversation, Jules wandered over and settled against the cabinet alongside her. Liara didn't react so Jules pressed their shoulders together, nudging her softly until she was eventually enticed into making eye contact.

Jules offered her a smile, "What's happened?"

She frowned for a moment, almost like she was trying to remember – or trying to decide how much to say, "It's nothing."

"It's something," Jules countered, she glanced over at the others who were laughing at some story Barbet was telling, "it's alright, they're not listening."

Liara sighed and relented, "There was a human boy, he was only about seventeen. We found him dying in a back alley. I melded with him to block out the pain," she paused, rubbing at the bridge of her nose like she could erase the memory, "It's proving difficult to forget him."

"I'm not surprised," Jules agreed, "he's part of you now. You must have known that when you decided to do it."

She nodded, "It's been so long since I melded with anyone but you, I'd forgotten what it felt like to touch a stranger's mind. I thought I'd be able to handle it better than this."

Jules rubbed a hand across her back, "Do you regret it?"

"Of course not. He was alone, he needed someone."

Jules smiled and shook her head, "You are something special, T'Soni. You know that, right?"

She caught Jules' eye to return the smile, then looked away again, "He thought I was an angel," she laughed but there was no humour in it, "he didn't really understand what was happening."

"Well," Jules reasoned, "you were in a way. A benevolent presence watching over him when he needed it most? That's practically the definition of an angel."

"Mm," Liara agreed distractedly, "angels only appear in human mythologies. Aspects of human culture must have survived through the generations out here, even though they've been cut off from Earth since the war. Fascinating."

Jules sighed. Liara always reverted to archaeologist mode when she was trying to avoid something, "There's something else, isn't there?" she asked, "Something to do with Kyla?"

Liara's expression dropped as she looked back at the other asari. Her brow creased again and Jules could practically see the indecision dancing behind her eyes. For a moment she looked like she was about to lie, then she just shook her head, "Not here. I'll tell you later."

Jules watched her as she fell into silence, the others were still laughing and bickering and whatever was bothering Liara, she clearly wasn't going to say anything in front of them. After a moment she draped an arm around the asari's shoulder.

"We'll be back at the ship soon," she muttered encouragingly, "we'll get Rhys to patch us up, raid the mess hall and then sleep for twelve hours and we'll be ready to face anything again."

Liara forced a smile, "Sounds nice."

"And all we have to do first is storm one more hostile base."

A genuine smile crept in this time, though Liara tried to hide it, "Is that all?"

"And get out alive," she added, "and not get captured again."

Liara's expression sobered and her gaze fell to Jules' mouth. She raised a hand to the cut at her lip, brushing her fingertips over the wound. Jules winced and Liara let her hand drop, "Do you really trust Samara?" she asked.

"Yes."

She waited for a moment, then resigned herself to a nod, "I suppose we had better help her then."


	27. Myriad

_Chapter Twenty-seven – Myriad_

Jules rested her head against Liara's shoulder as the shuttle steadily rose through Piares' atmosphere. It was a subtle attempt to offer silent comfort to the asari, who still hadn't elaborated any further on what had happened between her and Kyla. All Jules _did_ know was that Liara was watching the other asari with the wary attention that an alpha animal gives to a potential rival. Jules could only guess at what that meant.

Conversation had faltered between them and they were left listening to some embellished tale Kyla was relaying to the others, most of which Jules was fairly sure she was making up off the top of her head. After a few minutes she felt Liara's cheek press against her forehead.

"I don't know if it's entirely appropriate for the two most senior crewmembers to be seen acting like an old married couple in front of their squad," Liara murmured softly, not that the others seemed to be taking much notice.

Jules tried a shrug, which was somewhat difficult in her current position, "My ship. My rules. I'm thinking of making public displays of affection mandatory," Liara breathed a laugh, "anyway, who says you're one of the two most senior crewmembers? I was going to make Barbet my XO."

Liara pulled away slowly and Jules glanced up to see her glittering eyes were narrowed carefully, "What?" Jules asked, "I can't afford to show favouritism."

"Why? It's your ship, your rules."

Jules opened her mouth to reply, then she remembered that she never won these arguments anyway so she just smiled and settled back, "We need to come up with a proper chain of command," she added as an afterthought, "we didn't have the chance to sort out everyone's roles before we left."

"It's not an Alliance ship, Jules," Liara reminded her, "and they're not a military crew. A more relaxed approach might work better."

"Mm," Jules mused lazily, "I always was pretty relaxed, compared to most commanders."

"Shepard!" Egret's voice broke their conversation as she called through from the cockpit, "You'll want to see this."

Jules waited for a second, then sighed and patted Liara's thigh before she pulled away. She rolled her shoulders as she moved through into the cockpit, trying to prepare her body for another adrenaline fuelled excursion. Her implants may have prevented the ageing process but that didn't stop her from feeling old right now.

She found Egret gazing out at the edge of Piares' atmosphere as the shuttle broke through into space. She looked round as Jules entered and offered her half a smile, "I think I've found the right station," she gestured to the sensors.

"The biggest one?" Jules aksed.

"Yes. And there's this," as Jules leaned over to look at the console she saw the sensors were registering laser damage around the docking ports.

"Samara," she muttered, "she said she was being chased."

"I don't think that's it. It looks more like she had to shoot her way in."

"She's on a mission," Jules sighed, she'd never seen Samara this doggedly determined before. Running off half-cocked with no plan was a typically human thing to do – not something you expected from a thousand-year-old asari, "I'm assuming we can get in the same way?" she asked.

"I think she's cleared the way for us," Egret agreed, turning back to the controls, "The station's in low orbit, we'll be there soon."

"Good."

"What's Samara like?" Egret asked as she piloted the shuttle out of the last trails of the atmosphere.

"What do the stories say?"

"Not much."

Jules smirked, "Don't expect to learn any more from talking to her. No one could ever accuse her of oversharing."

As they manoeuvred around the curve of Piares, it didn't take long for the station to come into view. From the outside it didn't look very impressive; it was obviously several stations all bolted into one. Jules spotted typical asari designs along with a whole section that looked like it had once belonged to a turian cruiser.

There was crudely patched battle damage across most of the hull but it looked old, possibly from as far back as the war. All remained quiet as Egret moved the shuttle around to the docking bay and carefully brought it inside.

"Has no one tried to contact us?" Jules asked softly.

Egret checked her console and shook her head, "They must have seen us coming, surely?"

"Depends how much damage Samara's managed to do," Jules reasoned.

As they entered, Jules peered over Egret's shoulder to see the bay was empty save for the smouldering wreck of a shuttle that looked to have crashed inelegantly into the deck, managing to come to a stop just before it hit the back wall. A few bodies were scattered around it and in the middle of them, the static figure of an asari stood tall and calm as she awaited them. If Jules hadn't been able to see her face, she might have thought it was a statue.

Egret set the shuttle down and Jules felt the momentary spike of anticipation that always came when sneaking in to somewhere she shouldn't be. It was an odd mix of unease and excitement that had never gone away for her, no matter how many hostile bases she infiltrated.

"C'mon," she slapped Egret on the shoulder and moved out of the cockpit. The rest of the squad were on their feet by now with Liara standing by the door, her hands hovering over the panel. Jules gave her a nod and the door slid open, revealing Samara.

From the patient look on her face, one might have imagined she was meeting them for nothing more than a friendly reunion, perhaps a lunch date or a shopping trip, "Shepard," she stated politely, "I knew you would come."

"Did you?" Jules mused as she jumped down from the shuttle, "Maybe you could have used your powers of foresight to come up with a plan of escape for me."

"I wouldn't have insulted you by assuming you needed my help. Besides," she cast a glance over to her wrecked shuttle, "the circumstances were somewhat extreme."

Jules' team jumped down behind her and she was aware of them crowding her almost protectively as they gazed curiously at Samara. She could hardly blame them, she and Samara _had_ been trying to kill each other in an arena only a few hours ago.

Liara came up to Jules' side, arms folded as though in defiance as Samara met her eye. Samara nodded at her politely.

"Liara, it is good to see you again."

"Justicar," Liara replied coldly, then she scanned the eerily empty room and the few dead security guards, "you've been busy."

Samara cocked her head, holding Liara's gaze. Jules wouldn't have wanted to be on the receiving end of the scathing look Liara was giving her, but Samara didn't waver.

"I'm assuming you have a plan?" Liara asked after a moment.

Samara inclined her head and turned away, "Follow me."

As they began to move, Jules leaned in to Liara's side, "You said you'd be nice," she murmured.

"I believe I said I would _try_ not to be violent. Oh don't look at me like that Jules, I take offence when people nearly get you killed."

Samara led them over to a screen on the wall. She punched a few of the controls and the interface flickered into a map of the base, showing every level. Jules stepped forward and squinted, frowning at some of the rooms listed.

"Luxury suite, dining room, spa, _ballroom_? I thought this was some sort of art collection, not a hotel."

"It is both," Samara replied, "and more. This is where Cadeyrn entertains the upper classes."

"The _upper classes_?" Kyla verified sceptically, "This shithole planet has upper classes?"

"Yes," Samara agreed, "just because Piares is run on gambling and crime that does not mean it doesn't have an elite class. An aristocracy, if you like."

"Made up of who?"

She offered them a light shrug, "Crime lords who work under Cadeyrn, business owners from the upper city. Cadeyrn has spent his years in power showering them with riches and grandeur in return for their loyalty. Now they have as much of a taste for indulgence as he does. It is a culture entirely of Cadeyrn's making."

"And they come here?" Barbet asked, "To do what?"

"Some say they plot to bring down the Thessian Order, or they hide secrets from their people, or even that they _are_ the Order. In truth they likely drink expensive alcohol and brag about their fortunes. While they're here, Cadeyrn shows off the treasures he has plundered from Thessia."

"Including Falere?" Jules said.

Samara looked away, "She is beautiful, charming, and unique. Quite the prize, I should think."

"Unique?" Maia ventured, carefully, "How so?"

"That's not important," Jules cut in, "do you have any idea where she might be," she gestured to the map. The station looked to be so extensive it could take hours to search it all.

"No," Samara replied.

"Great. How did you find out she was even on board?"

"Eisheth told me. She is another gang leader in the city, Cadeyrn's greatest rival and far more dangerous than he has ever been."

"Dangerous how?"

"Cadeyrn cares only for money and trinkets and things that sparkle. He only hurts people if it helps him gain that which he desires. Eisheth enjoys suffering and torture for its own sake, she is a sadist and – in human terms – a psychopath."

"Sounds like a great girl," Barbet muttered dryly, he was glancing around the deserted room, his finger tensed on his trigger like he was expecting trouble. The lack of any security was making Jules twitchy too, it seemed unlikely that the ones Samara had killed would have had no backup.

"Cadeyrn sent me to retrieve a tome that Eisheth stole from his freighter," Samara continued, "I told her she could keep it – and her life – if she told me where to find Falere."

"Don't tell me you kept that bargain," Jules said, "if she's that dangerous I'd have wanted her dead."

Samara tilted her head curiously, "I gave her my word."

"Seriously? You've spent the last six years killing people in Cadeyrn's arena for other people's entertainment and you decide to find your sense of honour when you're negotiating with a murderous psychopath?"

Samara blinked, her expression similar to that of a parent the first time their child is insolent enough to talk back to them, "You have become… harsher than I remember you, my friend."

"You're not exactly the asari I remember either," Jules retorted. She wasn't interested in getting into a debate about moral character right now though so instead she stepped up to the map and sighed, "where would they be keeping her?"

"We could split into groups to search," Maia suggested but Jules shook her head.

"It would still take too long," she turned to Samara, "how much security does this place have?"

"Not enough," Samara replied, "Cadeyrn's love of material possessions has stretched his resources rather thin. He has many treasures and many bases to house them but not enough people to keep them adequately protected. The station has gone into lockdown in response to my presence, the security are all guarding the guests and presumably the most valuable exhibits."

"So, as long as we stay out of their way, they probably won't come looking for us?"

"Probably not," Samara agreed, "Although, I imagine Cadeyrn is sending reinforcements from the surface by now."

Jules frowned, "There must be a control centre or a computer room. Somewhere that controls all the base's functions."

"What about here?" Maia stepped forward and indicated to a greyed out area on one of the decks, "It's a central location and it looks big enough."

Jules nodded, "It's worth a shot."

"What do you plan to do from there?" Samara asked her.

Jules shrugged, "I'm sure I'll have thought of something by the time we get there."

…

It was Liara who broke the lockdown on the door, allowing them to leave the docking bay. The base appeared deserted as they moved through it though they passed dozens of locked doors that could easily have been hiding Cadeyrn's rich guests. Jules had no interest in them, as much as she would have liked to explore, there was no time for it.

The station – much like Cadeyrn's throne room – was an odd take on grandeur. Even the corridors were extravagant, lined with artwork and sparkling chandeliers; but there was a grim undertone to the place, the haphazard feel of a station scavenged and bolted together from the remnants of war. The excessive riches did little to cover it up, in fact, they made it more obvious that Cadeyrn was trying to craft a world that was beyond his reach. This part of the galaxy hadn't recovered enough from the war for needless luxury to have a place here.

At one point Liara paused by one half of a stone tablet that was fixed to the wall. She raised a hand as though to touch it, but then thought better of it and backed away, "I studied this when I was at university," she muttered, "it was in one piece back then, I wonder where the other half is."

"In another one of Cadeyrn's collections, maybe," Jules suggested.

"Or destroyed by the reapers," Liara agreed.

Further on, they passed through a large hall and Cadeyrn hadn't wasted the opportunity to fill the space with statues and sculptures, each in their own display cases. A large, battered stone head lay in four parts in a particularly large glass case and Jules stopped to frown at it.

"Is that Athame's head?" she asked in surprise.

"From the temple where we fought Kai Leng," Liara agreed, coming up beside her, "I'm amazed it survived."

"You'd think Cadeyrn would at least have glued it back together."

They heard a snort from behind them and turned to see Kyla smirking and shaking her head, "What's funny?" Liara asked coldly.

"You two," she replied, "you're as much a part of history as all of this junk. We could put you in one of these display cases: _Living Legends of the Reaper War,_ " she framed the air in front of her as though picturing it.

"Don't give Cadeyrn ideas," Jules advised, "from what I've seen of him, he probably would."

Liara grimaced at the idea, but before she could reply she got distracted by another one of the cases, "It can't be," she muttered before pushing between them and bee-lining for an ancient looking ledger on display, "I petitioned the matriarchs over a dozen times to study this and they never allowed it."

"Is it important?" Kyla asked, casting it the most cursory of glances.

Liara frowned back at her, "It's the Castillion Peace Treaty. One of the most important historical discoveries in Thessia's history."

This apparently meant nothing to Kyla who shrugged dismissively, "So a load of regions that don't even exist anymore were at peace once, big deal."

Jules watched Liara bristle and then purposely keep herself calm, "It's not the content that was important, it's the fact it was written in four different ancient asari dialects, two of which had never been translated."

"So you used the two you did know to translate the other two?" Egret asked, coming over to look.

"Exactly," Liara turned away from Kyla to answer her, energised by somebody appearing interested, "that led historians to be able to translate numerous other artefacts that had never been deciphered before. This _one_ discovery allowed us to unlock so many of Ancient Thessia's secrets, including…"

As Liara continued her lecture, Jules wandered over to a large glass window. Rather than looking out onto the stars, it revealed a room beyond it. A large pool took up most of the space but it didn't look like it was for swimming in. It was more like an artificial recreation of a natural environment, complete with rocks, sand and plant life, the kind you would find along a Thessian coastline.

For a moment Jules frowned at the scene, unable to figure out why they would build it here. Then the water rippled and a face emerged. Two large, glittering eyes met hers with interest and blinked for a moment before tentatively moving forwards through the water.

As it neared, the creature drew itself up out of the water, tilting its head curiously as it came to tower over her.

"Oh," Jules breathed, "you have got to be kidding me."

Just as humans had evolved from apes, the asari had evolved from the shae. They were mostly aquatic creatures though they were one of the few species in the known galaxy who could breathe both air and water. Among humans they were generally described as the closest you could ever get to a real life mermaid.

They were bigger than the asari, taller and broader but they had the same elegance. Their faces were large too and their eyes were far too big with wide, black pupils that almost drowned out the glittering blue of their irises where a keen intelligence lurked.

This one had bold, tiger-like patterns across its skin, which was closer to green in colour than blue; but still, the relation to the asari was evident.

The creature placed a hand against the glass, displaying five webbed fingers, not as delicate or well-formed as an asari's but not far off. Just like with apes, the shae were frighteningly familiar in their mannerisms and expressions, so close the asari and yet missing something it was hard to define, some spark of sentience just barely beyond their grasp.

The shae held Jules' gaze as it moved forward again, this time pressing its forehead on the glass like it wanted to touch her. Staring into those keen eyes, it was easy to believe that there _was_ sentience lurking there, locked away behind some missed evolutionary step.

With only an inch of glass separating them, Jules was close enough to see the droplets of water running down the shae's face. Her hide was almost reptilian-looking and seemed far thicker and coarser than Liara's soft skin. As she opened her mouth, Jules saw a row of small, sharp fangs before the creature's breath misted up the glass.

"They are remarkable creatures," Jules jumped as Samara glided up beside her, gazing upon the shae with quiet respect, "Cadeyrn doesn't limit his treasures to material ones. They are prisoners here just like Falere," as she spoke, two more of the creatures emerged from the water. One stayed half-submerged, eyeing them suspiciously while the other ignored them completely, pulling herself out of the pool to lounge on the sand.

"Where the hell did he get them?" Jules asked weakly, she had seen pictures and vids of the creatures, but up close they were so much more breath-taking.

"Thessia, I imagine," Samara answered, rather obviously now Jules thought about it, "it pains me to see them here, though it is gratifying to know they survived the war."

Jules could relate to that, plenty of Earth animals had gone extinct while the Reapers were bombarding the planet. In many ways the ecosystem was still recovering.

"We need to keep moving, Shepard," Samara reminded her.

She would have happily stayed to continue her staring contest with the curious shae, but Samara was right.

"Come on, everyone," she called to the others, "let's go," she pulled herself away from the glass and headed for the door. She paused before she left, glancing back to see the shae was still gazing at her, both hands pressed against her prison.

"The control room is one floor down," Maia was saying when Jules got outside, "the elevator's locked down, it'll be quicker to use the stairs."

The matriarch took the lead. The short time they had wasted in the hall had added a sense of urgency and they moved at a swift jog down the staircase. The corridor they emerged into was lined with more glass windows, these ones showing the underwater section of the shae's pool.

"Oh wow," Egret said, stopping dead to stare as the tiger-striped shae submerged herself to follow them. She was more elegant in the water, moving effortlessly as she stared at them.

"Keep moving," Jules told Egret, taking her by both shoulders and pushing her onwards. The shae swam alongside them for the length of the corridor before she ran out of water and was forced to stop and watch them run past.

"It's just along here," Maia called from the front. They turned a corner and found a large sealed door with 'authorised personnel only' written on it in bold red letters.

"Looks promising," Jules said, nodding to Liara. Liara stepped up to the door controls and set about getting it open. Jules grabbed her shotgun from her back, "Get ready."

But as the doors snapped open, they found the room beyond completely empty. Chairs were kicked back, consoles and workstations had been abandoned and half-finished commands were flashing up on several of the screens.

"Looks like the staff made a run for it," Kyla muttered as they stepped inside, peering into the shadows for any sign of movement.

"Protecting the guests must be more of a priority for them," Maia reasoned.

"Or they're so shit-scared of 'the champion' over there," she nodded to Samara, "that they didn't want to risk sticking around somewhere she was likely to come knocking."

Samara spared Kyla a brief glance but offered her no response.

"We should have access to most of the station's systems from here," Jules stated, "let's see what we can find."

The squad split off to examine the consoles and Jules followed Egret over to the main computer where security feeds were showing empty corridors and rooms. One showed the corridor they had just sprinted down and Jules saw the shae was still lingering in the water, looking down the way they had gone with one hand against the glass.

She was reminded briefly of the first dog she had ever owned back on Mindoir. He would follow her to the end of the path every morning when she left for school and then she would find him still sitting there when she came home, usually with a tennis ball in his mouth in anticipation of his walk.

She found herself smiling wistfully at the distant memory, then she remembered where she was and promptly snapped back into focus.

"Any luck?" she asked Egret who was busy at the console.

"Yes," the young asari replied, frowning as she tapped at the controls, "I've got full access."

"Good," Jules replied, "scramble the lockdown codes so Cadeyrn's men can't get out from wherever they're hiding. Should slow down any reinforcements he sends too."

Egret nodded and Jules turned away, pacing to the centre of the room where she found Liara waiting for her, brow raised expectantly.

"Do you have a plan yet?" she muttered, keeping her voice low so the others wouldn't hear.

Jules hesitated, "I'm working on it," she walked back over to Egret, then back to the centre of the room, then back to Egret, "does this place have a self-destruct?" she asked, not entirely sure where her own mind was going with the idea.

Egret looked at her oddly, "No. Why would it?"

"Good point," Jules conceded. She paced a while more, "Could we create one?" she pressed, "Do something that would blow this place to pieces?"

"We could overload the power core," Barbet suggested from another console, "it looks like a ramshackle old system, probably scavenged from before the war. It wouldn't take much to overload its systems, I could do it from here."

"How long would we have to escape?"

He shrugged, "It'll take about twenty minutes for the power levels to build to the point where it would explode."

Jules nodded thoughtfully, "Do it."

"What? Are you being serious?"

"Yeah," she tossed him a reassuring grin and turned back to Egret, "call Cadeyrn."

"Shepard," she turned to see Samara squinting at her. The justicar seemed to consider objecting, but apparently thought better of it, "I hope you know what you're doing," she said at last.

"Shepard," Cadeyrn's face flickered up on one of the screens. He looked unamused to say the least, his face cold and stoic as he tapped at his chin thoughtfully, "you were so close to evading me. Why walk straight back into one of my bases when you could simply have fled?" his pale eyes flicked over her shoulder and for a moment he faltered, an angry frown marring his features, "Samara." he stated, "What have you done?"

Jules turned to see Samara staring him down blankly, seemingly unwilling to comment. Jules turned back with a smile, "You have something we want, Cadeyrn. I think you know who I'm talking about."

He tilted his head, "What has this to do with you? What has Samara offered you?"

"She doesn't need to offer me anything. She's my friend."

A flash of anger glinted in his eyes and he sat forward, fist clenched at the screen like he thought he could reach through it to throttle her. He managed to compose himself before he spoke but his annoyance was badly disguised, "Falere is under guard," he said tightly, "reinforcements are on their way to the station, why should I hand her over to you?"

"Because if you don't, in twenty minutes the station's power core will overload and the whole of _Myriad_ will be destroyed, including all of your precious treasures. I'd guess it'll take us about five minutes to get back to our shuttle and get clear so that gives you fifteen to get Falere to me. Do that, and I'll stop the overload."

Cadeyrn stared at her, "You're bluffing."

"Am I?" Jules asked innocently.

"You'd never blow the station up with Falere still on board. Samara wouldn't let you."

"She won't be able to stop me," Jules folded her arms, "you saw our fight in the arena. If I hadn't hesitated I could have killed her. You know I let her win."

A cold smile swept across Cadeyrn's face, "And you claim to be her friend?"

"Yeah. But I'm also old, and tired, and sick of dealing with self-righteous pricks like you. So either you hand Falere over or you lose her and every other stolen trinket on this station!" she leaned over Egret and slammed her hand onto the controls, cutting off the transmission. Egret jumped slightly, turning to look wide-eyed at Jules like she was wondering if she had gone mad.

For a moment the rest of the squad stared at her with similar unease until finally Kyla cleared her throat, "So, er… you're bluffing… right?" she asked tentatively.

"Of course I'm bluffing, what do you take me for?" she said, throwing the asari a grin, "How convincing was I?"

"You had me fooled," Barbet drawled from his console, "the core will go critical in twenty, but I won't be able to stop it much past ten minutes."

Jules jogged over to get a look at his screen and nodded, "We'd best hope Cadeyrn makes his mind up quickly then."

"If you have no intention of destroying the station, why overload the core?" Samara asked calmly.

"Because I want Cadeyrn to be able to scan the station and see that we're being serious, once he knows that, my guess is he'll fold."

"And if he doesn't?" Maia inquired.

"Then we'll think of something else," she walked back over to Egret, "did you contact Ereba?"

"Yes," she replied, "she has the ship cloaked nearby."

"A lot of use they'll be to us with no guns," Barbet muttered.

"Yes," Jules agreed, "remind me to do something about that."

The minutes crawled by and Jules filled them with pacing and fidgeting, something she was self-consciously aware of considering the company she was in. Maia, Samara, Liara and even Barbet and Kyla remained stoic and unmoved with Egret being the only other one showing signs of unease as she tapped her fingers lightly on her console.

Just when Jules was becoming pretty sure they were reaching the point-of-no-return deadline, the comm bleeped.

Egret threw an urgent look back at Jules before she answered it and Cadeyrn appeared once more on the screen. He was leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees. His braids framed his face and his eyes were cold and unforgiving as he stared Jules down through the screen.

"Cancel the overload," he commanded coolly, "now."

Jules blinked, "Where's Falere?"

"She'll be with you imminently."

As he said it, the door behind them opened and Jules spun to see a squad of soldiers enter, guns raised. She and the others reached for their own weapons instinctively but Jules faltered as she saw who was leading them.

A tall, heavy-set turian was at the head of the group with his arm firmly around the throat of the asari he was holding, his gun pressed to her temple.

Jules' first meeting with Falere had been brief but memorable. Jules remembered her possessing a confidence and a dignity that commanded respect, even when she was crying. She had lost none of that dignity even as she struggled for breath in the uncomfortable choke hold.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Samara make a sharp move but Maia caught her by the arm.

"Cancel the overload," Cadeyrn demanded once more, "or Falere dies."

Jules turned to catch his eye, "If you can't have her no one can?" she asked innocently.

He inclined his head coldly, "You and Samara are the best fighters I've ever had and Falere is a profitable investment, did you think I'd let all three of you just walk away?"

"I'm sure we're all very flattered," Jules muttered. She turned back to the room, options racing through her mind, all of them being dismissed as quickly as they occurred. Her team were all looking to her, weapons at the ready. Barbet's hands were hovering over his console, waiting to be told to abort the overload. Jules hesitated, her eyes lingering on Falere.

"You have ten seconds, Shepard," Cadeyrn chimed softly, "nine… eight… seven… six… five…"

Just as Jules was about to cave in, the decision was taken out of her hands as the turian's gun clattered to the floor and Falere stumbled out of his grasp. For a split-second Jules couldn't work out why, then she noticed the biotic energy rippling around his throat, tightening and constricting until his neck snapped back with a definite _crack,_ leaving his squad mates to stare in horror as he fell to the floor.

For a moment, Jules' eyes fell on Samara; her face was set stoic and determined as her fist was still raised from the attack. The room seemed to freeze, before hell broke loose.

"Shut that off!" Jules yelled at Egret, gesturing to the comm screen where Cadeyrn was now on his feet and staring at the scene. She simultaneously raised her shotgun and fired at the nearest enemy before he could even aim his gun and then dived into cover.

Falere, as it turned out, was far from defenceless and sent a sharp shockwave to knock the guards off their feet before Samara dragged her back out of the line of fire. Jules watched Liara and Kyla picking the remaining guards off in tandem and briefly noted what a good team they seemed to make, despite whatever was going on between them.

The fight was over as swiftly as it had begun, leaving Jules struggling to keep up.

"I see you don't follow my orders anymore," she muttered at Samara as she emerged from her cover and cast a glance at the dead turian. Samara inclined her head but didn't answer.

"Wait, _Shepard_?" Falere appeared from behind her mother, staring at her in confusion.

"Yeah," Jules tossed her a grin, "I know, it's impossible, but it's really me. I'll explain later, right now we need to get out of here. Liara!" she spun round and found Liara standing behind her as though anticipating her next order, "Take Falere and Samara and the rest of the squad and get them back to the shuttle," she commanded before turning her attention to Barbet whose attention was completely consumed by his console as he seemed to be frantically punching commands into the controls.

She jogged over to join him, "Tell me you can stop the overload," she muttered as she watched the others leave.

"I'm doing my best," he replied.

"Not exactly the answer I was hoping for."

"I know. But like I said, the core was in bad enough shape already, it would probably have overloaded on its own sooner or later."

"That's notreassuring me either," Jules pressed.

Barbet tapped at the controls a moment longer then sat back with an exasperated sigh, "The overload's caused a chain reaction, the systems aren't responding."

Jules rubbed at her forehead. This was the problem with thinking up plans on the spot, there was no time to come up with contingencies, "Can you eject it?" she asked.

"Maybe, but there's no backups, the whole station would lose power, including life support."

"They'll have a few hours before they freeze or suffocate, I'm sure they'll be able to figure something out. Just make sure all the doors between here and the shuttle bay are open first, we don't want to trap ourselves in."

Barbet nodded and leaned forwards again, "Who the hell builds a space station with no backup generators anyway?" he muttered, half to himself.

Jules grimaced, from what she'd seen of this part of space so far, it almost seemed like it had been pieced together by children who didn't know how the galaxy was meant to work in the wake of the war. Without the HTA, the rest of the galaxy might have been in a similar state, she realised grimly.

"Ready?" Barbet asked her; she gave him a nod and he punched in a command. Tentatively, they waited.

There was a clunk somewhere deep within the bowels of the station, the lights flickered as though in an attempt to cling on to life and then died along with every console and screen in the room, leaving an eerie silence in their wake.

In the pitch black, Jules pulled out her torch and patted Barbet on the shoulder, "Let's move."

As instructed, Barbet had opened all the doors between them and the shuttle bay and they moved swiftly through the black corridors. It may have been Jules' imagination but the station already seemed to feel colder as their footsteps echoed off the metal deck.

As they jogged alongside the windows to the shae's tank, she was aware of large, glittering eyes blinking at them through the dark waters, she hoped Cadeyrn's people would find a way to restore the power before the creatures suffered for it.

Jules rounded a corner and almost tripped over the body of a guard. Flashing her torch around she saw he was one of several scattered around the floor, "Looks like the others cleared the way for us," she muttered as she stepped round them and continued.

A brief impact shook the station, making them both stumble as the deck shuddered beneath them, "There goes the core," Barbet muttered, "feels like it was far enough away not to do too much damage."

They broke into a sprint as the docking bay came into sight, they could hear the shuttle's engines powered up, unnaturally loud amidst the silence of the station. As they entered, they saw the hatch was open, the only source of light in the room, and Kyla was leaning out, watching for them.

"Hurry up!" she urged as they approached, waving them in with her shotgun. Jules and Barbet bolted inside and Kyla pulled the hatch shut behind them before banging her fist on the wall to the cockpit, "GO!"

As the floor shifted beneath them, Jules did a mental headcount, "Do we have everyone?" she asked, the question may as well have been rhetorical but Kyla didn't miss a chance at sarcasm.

"No," she said dryly, "I decided to leave half the squad behind. What the hell do you think?"

Jules smiled and slapped her on the arm, "Thanks," she looked over towards Samara and Falere, who were standing in the far corner, shoulder-to-shoulder, "you okay?" she asked Falere. The asari offered her a warm smile and a single nod, "good. We'll catch up later," she turned away and felt the shuttle jerk forwards, knocking her briefly off-balance.

"Hold on!" Egret called from the front, "With the power down I'm going to have to shoot the doors open!"

They heard the impact of the lasers and the ensuing explosions, the shuttle rocked back slightly and then surged forwards.

"A ship with guns," Jules muttered absently, "there's a novelty."

She didn't know whether it was the exhaustion catching up with her, or the adrenaline wearing off, or something else entirely. But as the shuttle soared safely out into space, she found her legs practically giving beneath her and she had to stagger against the wall to remain standing.

"Are you alright?" Liara appeared at her side, hooking an arm under her shoulder to steady her.

"No," Jules muttered, closing her eyes as the realities of the past day hit her all in one, "Jesus, Liara, I nearly blew up a whole space station."

There was a moment's pause and Jules could see the conflict on Liara's face without having to look. Liara's hand moved to rub her gently across her back, "It… wouldn't have been your fault," she lied, making Jules snort a laugh.

"I love you for saying it, but we both know it isn't true. I was making it up as I went along and a lot of people nearly died. They still might."

Liara cast a glance around the shuttle, when she seemed content that no one was watching, she leaned in closer and brushed a kiss past Jules' temple, "You weren't given much of a choice. Samara was the reckless one, not you."

Jules looked over to the far corner where Samara was standing with Falere. She had both hands on her daughter's arms and was speaking to her softly, their foreheads almost touching. Jules sighed, "Can you blame her?" she caught sight of Liara's frown and chuckled, "Don't answer that. You're never going to like her, are you?"

"I'll do my best not to _dislike_ her. So long as she doesn't try to kill you again."

Jules leaned in to kiss her properly, not caring whether the others were watching or not, "Thank you," she mumbled as she pulled away. Her legs had stopped wobbling now; that was something.

It was a moment before Liara spoke again and when she did her voice was different, like she'd been distracted from all current troubles by a more pressing thought.

"Jules," she said, her brow creasing just slightly.

Jules looked at her, matching her frown curiously, "What?"

"How are we going to fit this shuttle in the _Janiri's_ cargo bay?"


	28. Long Day

_Chapter Twenty-eight – Long Day_

"This isn't going to work."

" _C'mon, Ereba, pessimism like that didn't win us the war_."

In the cockpit of the _Jiniri,_ Ereba frowned down incredulously at Shepard's voice coming through the comm, "It's not pessimistic to admit that something is literally impossible."

" _We don't know it's impossible until we try._ "

"Yes, and rip a hole in the ship in the process."

" _Ereba, stick with me long enough and you'll learn to trust me when I say something's going to work._ "

" _Jules,_ " Ereba heard Liara's soft voice in the background, " _this isn't going to work._ "

There was an irritated sigh and a pause – during which Ereba assumed Shepard was giving Liara a look – before the human ignored both of their concerns and continued, " _Is the cargo bay cleared_?"

Ereba ran a finger down her forehead, there was clearly no talking her out of this, "You do remember the mess it was in when you left, right? We've cleared it out as much as we can but-"

" _Good_!" Shepard cut in, " _Is everything in there secured_?"

"Yes but-"

" _Great. Open the loading ramp."_

Ereba hesitated, "You're insane."

She thought she heard Shepard laugh, " _Just trust me, okay_?"

…

In the shuttle cockpit, Egret stared at the _Janiri's_ cargo bay as the ship lined up in front of them and the loading ramp silently opened, revealing the interior. From this distance, and encompassed by the vast void of space, it looked impossibly tiny.

"This is never going to work," she muttered out loud. Behind her, Shepard gave a dramatic sigh.

"Would everyone stop saying that?" she leaned heavily on the back of Egret's chair, "Typical over-cautious asari, if this was a human crew…" she trailed off and Egret cast her a sceptical glance. She generally considered herself to be more human than asari on many levels and she still thought this was a terrible idea.

Liara apparently agreed.

"Jules, the _Janiri_ isn't built to carry a shuttle," the asari said. She was squashed into the back of the cockpit with her arms folded and a frown on her brow and Egret couldn't help but shift uncomfortably. It was a bad sign when even Liara was doubting Shepard.

"There's enough room in the cargo bay," Shepard stated stubbornly.

"It's getting _in_ that will be the problem. There's only three clear metres each side and less than one top and bottom."

"Exactly, totally doable."

"But risky."

Egret felt Shepard push away from the chair as she turned to face Liara, "What's the alternative? Besides," she lowered her voice, "if we pull this off, they'll never doubt me again."

"If?" Egret exclaimed, snapping her head round to stare at them.

"When," Shepard quickly corrected herself, reaching to pat Egret on the shoulder, "I said when."

For once Egret didn't care that this was the great hero she used to read bedtime stories about. She was pretty sure Shepard was a complete lunatic. She stopped short of saying so though, instead biting her lip as she turned back to her controls and prepared to… die, probably, she realised with grim certainty.

Shepard slapped a hand firmly onto her shoulder, "I have complete faith in you," she stated. Somehow, that didn't help.

Egret rubbed at her forehead and tried to fight the heavy fatigue that was settling behind her eyes. She couldn't even guess how long she had been awake now. The thought of her bed being on the other side of that cargo bay was about the only thing that made this idea remotely appealing.

She looked down at the comm, "Ready, Ereba?"

There was a pause, " _As we'll ever be. I'll help you out as much as I can._ "

Egret hit the forward thrusters and headed straight for the open hatch. As they moved forward, the _Janiri_ loomed before them. It really wasn't a very large ship, which in these circumstances was why it was so intimidating.

The curves of the hull shimmered and gleamed in the starlight and the brightly lit cargo bay came into clear focus. Egret saw that the crew _had_ managed to clear out most of the crates, leaving a clear space in the centre. It looked to have been a rushed job though and numerous shelves and boxes had been hastily pushed to the edges and strapped down with ties. The result was not dissimilar to a teenager's idea of tidying their bedroom.

As they reached the open hatch, Egret felt her heart begin to pound faster and her breathing quickened to the point where she had to concentrate on it to keep from hyperventilating. Shepard's grip tightened on her shoulder; at first it was reassuring but eventually it became uncomfortable.

"Shepard," she muttered through gritted teeth, "you're cutting off the blood to my arm."

"Sorry," Shepard said quickly and pulled her hand back.

"How am I doing, Ereba?" she asked.

" _You look clear on all sides from here. Just keep her steady and you'll be fine._ "

Egret edged the shuttle forwards, half expecting to hear the scraping of metal at any second. But all remained quiet as they passed through the hatch; the next task was landing in the cleared space that, frankly, looked barely big enough.

"Be careful setting down," Liara said softly, "this deck wasn't designed to have a shuttle land on it."

Egret took the advice on board as she lined up the shuttle as best she could and gently lowered it to the floor. Something crunched loudly as the port thruster crushed a metal crate, making Egret jump so violently she almost took off again.

"Don't worry," Shepard said quickly, "probably wasn't anything important."

The shuttle touched down completely and Egret breathed a heavy sigh as she shut off the engines, "We're down, Ereba."

" _Well done. I'm re-pressurising the cargo bay now. Rhys wants to see you all in the med bay. No arguments._ "

Egret sat back in her chair, "Are all our missions going to be as eventful as this one?" she asked no one in particular.

Behind her, Shepard chuckled, "Oh, this was just the warm up."

…

Rhys was whistling when they entered the med bay, his bright eyes so cheerful and alert that Jules felt exhausted just looking at him.

"Shepard!" he greeted her with a wide, alien grin.

"Doctor," she replied with less enthusiasm, "you look… cheerful."

"That's because while you were running around getting yourself shot at, I was enjoying a full night's rest followed by a hearty breakfast," he peered at her disapprovingly and then pointed to the bed in front of him, "sit," he commanded.

She ignored the instinct to refuse – just to prove she was the one in charge – and instead did as she was told, hoisting herself up onto the bed and letting her legs dangle over the side. The rest of the squad filed in behind her, looking tired and lethargic now that the adrenaline and the excitement had worn off.

"Take a seat wherever you can," Rhys told them, "the nurses will give you a once over then it's food and bed for all of you."

Liara hopped onto the bed beside Jules and Rhys began running a scanner over both of them, "Cuts, bruises, friction burns," he tilted her head to get a look at the cut at her lip, "I can see being your doctor will be a full time occupation."

Jules smiled, "I promise you'll never be bored."

"Who are our new guests?" Rhys nodded to Falere and Samara who were being looked over by one of the nurses.

"Samara and her daughter Falere, we rescued them both from a crime lord."

"Of course you did," Rhys agreed, then seemed to do a double take and looked at Samara more closely, "not _the_ Samara?"

"Mhm," Jules agreed, "it's a small galaxy. She gave me the friction burns," she jerked a thumb towards her back and gave Rhys a grin. He blinked at her for a moment then shook his head.

"I won't ask."

"It's too long a story anyway," Jules agreed, suppressing a yawn, "anything happen while we were away?" she asked lazily.

"Well, there's been no gunfights or kidnappings; in fact it's been positively dull compared to your adventures. The crew has been gathering sensor data from across the whole system and I believe they've also managed to decrypt those coded files from the freighter."

Liara perked up at that, "I wonder if they found anything useful," she muttered.

"Not your concern, Doctor," Rhys told her sternly, "not until you've had a decent meal and a long sleep anyway."

Jules and Liara exchanged a glance and Jules was pleased to see a small smile from the asari. She was fairly sure they were both being reminded of similar lectures they'd received from Doctor Chakwas, in another life.

"I do have something to ask you, Doctor," Jules said.

"Rhys will do," he reminded her casually.

"Alright," she agreed, "theoretically, how would a non-asari access their biotic abilities without an implant?"

"Theoretically?" he took a moment to think, his glowing eyes narrowed curiously, "they wouldn't. It's impossible. Our bodies just aren't built for biotics like an asari's. Why?"

"Because they exist," Jules stated bluntly, "by all accounts, in this part of the galaxy people don't need biotic implants."

"Really? Fascinating," Rhys pondered, "do you know anything else?"

"Only that the first non-implants probably came from Thessia, descendants of the survivors who were stranded there, presumably."

"Could their bodies have evolved to let them survive the eezo on Thessia?" Liara suggested.

"Over a few millennia, perhaps," Rhys agreed, "in just a few generations? Doubtful. You'd have to bring me one of these people to run tests on if you want any answers, Shepard. Or a body, whichever's easiest for you."

Jules concealed a smile, "I'll see what I can do."

With access to far better medical equipment than Cadeyrn gave his fighters, Rhys managed to patch them up quickly enough before sending them all to the mess hall. The rations they got were plain but Jules didn't taste it anyway, she was too busy thinking about other things. What was she going to do about Cadeyrn? How were there non-asari biotics without implants in asari space? Who were the Thessian Order and where the hell were they shipping eezo to? Mostly though, she just wanted to know what was going on with Liara and Kyla.

They all wolfed down their food in a similar, half-asleep stupor before heading for their beds. Jules told Ereba to find somewhere for Falere and Samara to sleep and then told them she'd catch up with them later.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she dragged Liara into their cabin and shut the door on the rest of the ship, leaving them alone.

As Barbet had warned, the cabin was a bit small for two but by no means cramped. The bed was smaller than a double but since they didn't take up much room together, it was plenty big enough for the two of them. It was crammed at the end of the room, beneath a sloped window that offered anyone lying on it a view of the stars, reminding Jules of her old skylight on the Normandy.

The rest of the room was just big enough for a desk and a chair; a wardrobe was built into the wall and next to it was a sliding door. Jules opened it and peered inside to find a tiny but fully stocked bathroom. It was a far cry from the fish tank and leather sofas she used to enjoy on the Normandy but it didn't matter. If she had ever had a taste for luxury she had lost it long ago and right now, the standard of her living quarters was the furthest thing from her mind.

She turned to see Liara had slumped down onto the bed, resting her head in both hands, "I could sleep for a week," she mumbled through her palms.

"Sounds tempting," Jules agreed, wandering over to join her, "but first, are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?"

…

Ereba led Falere though the _Janiri_ 's endlessly curving corridors, passing numerous cabin doors along the way, "You're in luck," she said, to avoid the kind of awkward silence that can develop with someone you've only just met, "we had to leave some of our crew behind at the HTA detention centre otherwise we wouldn't have any free rooms," as she heard the words coming out of her mouth, she realised how they sounded and quickly shot Falere a look, "sorry! I didn't mean that to come across as being heartless."

The other asari gifted her a delicate smile. Everything about Falere was delicate and elegant; she seemed to glide as she walked, every movement measured and precise and when she talked there was an attractive gravel to her voice, low and eloquent. She was a _proper_ asari, brought up in a time before the war. So was Ereba, of course, but she didn't really feel like it these days. Hell, she'd spent so much of the last two centuries around aliens she'd lost most of her asari grace and instead picked up habits from humans, turians, probably even krogan.

She hadn't really noticed it before, but next to the classic beauty and dignity that Falere was radiating she found herself becoming increasingly self-conscious about her own mannerisms.

"So…" she started with hopes of changing the subject, "is your mother really going to be alright in that side room? There isn't even a bed in there, we were going to use it for storage," when Ereba had offered the justicar a cabin, she had refused, instead picking out the empty side room and claiming it would be adequate for her. Ereba hadn't had the nerve to argue but she did think it was strange.

Falere just smiled, "It has a window, that's all she wants. She can go for weeks without sleep anyway."

"Really?" Ereba frowned very ungracefully and mentally kicked herself for it, "How?"

"Intense meditation," Falere explained, "it's a justicar technique. I've never mastered it myself."

"Wow," Ereba mused, impressed, "she's like a _real_ matriarch then. When _my_ mother hit her matriarch years all she did was drink endless cups of tea and complain about the state of the galaxy. That's when she wasn't criticising me on my relationships, of course. Is Samara strict about your love life?"

For some reason that question seemed to amuse Falere and she smiled to herself for a moment before she answered, "Very."

"Hmph," Ereba nodded, "I know the feeling. Even when I was a grown woman my mother couldn't stop poking her nose in. No one was ever good enough in her eyes. Thank the Goddess she didn't live to see me marry a krogan."

"You're married to a krogan?" Falere asked, curiously. Ereba was used to that reaction, krogan and asari didn't typically make a good match. But then Charr hadn't been a typical krogan, she remembered with a smile.

"Widowed. He died in the war."

She came to the last door of the corridor and keyed in the code. The door slid open and they entered the cramped little cabin beyond, just big enough for the two beds squeezed into it.

"It's not very roomy," Ereba apologised, "but you've got it to yourself. I put some spare clothes in the locker," she gestured to the locker above one of the beds, "nothing fancy but they should fit."

"Thank you," Falere said as she looked around. She didn't seem too bothered about the lack of luxury though she might just have been being polite.

"How long are you staying," Ereba asked. Falere and Samara's presence on the ship had yet to really be explained, let alone what they were planning to do next.

"I don't know. I… don't really know what we're going to do now."

Ereba nodded slowly, "Well… you're welcome for as long as you need to stay."

"Thank you," Falere said again.

Unsure of what to say next, Ereba held her gaze for a while. Falere had remarkable eyes, they sort of shimmered like they were constantly shifting between shades of blue and silver. There was something strange about them, almost magical.

Ereba cleared her throat, "Right. I'll leave you to it," she decided, "call me if you need anything, I'll be… flying the ship."

Falere gave her a gracious nod of her head, "I will. Thank you, Ereba."

Ereba smiled awkwardly and left. As the door slid shut behind her she let out a long breath and relaxed. This instantly made her feel stupid. She was far too old to be getting intimidated by people just because they were more refined and gorgeous than her. It was more than that though. There was something about Falere. Something different. Something… strange.

She shook the thought from her head and walked back towards the cockpit. It was probably nothing.

…

"Aethyta's daughter?" In their cabin, Jules sat down on the bed next to Liara and stared at her. The asari met her gaze wearily and nodded, "And she just… blurted that out?"

"More or less," Liara muttered, "we were arguing and…" she trailed off and Jules didn't need her to elaborate any further.

She sat and thought about it for a while. Kyla was Aethyta's daughter. She thought back over Kyla's recent behaviour, her strange resentment towards Liara, her inappropriate comments and general lack of tact and she realised, with a smile, how little it surprised her.

"That… explains everything," she chuckled softly, "I knew she reminded me of someone. I can't believe I didn't see it sooner."

"Why are you smiling?" there was a harshness in Liara's question that made Jules frown and she realised the asari was glaring at her like she was crazy.

"Liara, she's you're sister."

Liara's face darkened, "No she's not," she stood and paced the length of the room. Considering the room was tiny, whatever effect she'd been attempting was somewhat hindered and she ended up just standing at the door with her back to the bed.

"Alright, half-sister," Jules offered instead.

"She's not even that. There is _no_ genetic link between us."

"And family's all about genes now, is it?" Jules kept her tone light. Liara was tired, and upset, and in those circumstances she had a habit of becoming short-tempered and irrational. Though it was a side of her the rest of the galaxy rarely got to see, it was one Jules was all too familiar with.

"She's not my family," Liara stated stubbornly.

"Of course she is. Her mother was your… father," Jules frowned even as she said it, "pretty sure that's a sentence I've never used before."

The joke didn't do anything to lighten Liara's mood as she turned back with a scowl, "We are not related, Jules. You know asari don't put the same importance on our fathers as other races, we don't see them as our family."

Jules raised an eyebrow, "That might have been true once, back before you ever encountered aliens, but you and I both know that since then you've become part of a galactic community with vastly different ideas on parental roles and you can't pretend that hasn't influenced your own culture. Aethyta definitely saw you as her family."

"Aethyta's dead," Liara stated coolly, before turning back to face the door. Jules sighed and willed her tired legs to stand. She moved slowly across the room and placed a hand on Liara's shoulder; when Liara didn't react she slipped her other arm around her waist and rested her chin on the other shoulder. Liara didn't yield to the contact but she didn't flinch away from it either.

"You knew she had other daughters," Jules muttered softly, "and you can't pretend to me that you've never wondered about them because I've been inside your head. Kyla may not be family to you now but I bet she could be, if you take the time to get to know her."

Liara kept her defiant scowl but something seemed to relent inside her, "I doubt it." she muttered moodily, "She doesn't seem to like me very much."

"Maybe not," Jules admitted, "but from the way she's been acting, I'd say she has very strong feelings about you, probably conflicted ones. Aethyta didn't even tell you about her, not properly. That's got to sting," Liara didn't say anything but she leaned back a little into Jules' arms and linked their fingers across her stomach, "you're exhausted," Jules said, "why don't we get some sleep and figure it all out in the morning?"

Liara hesitated, then looked back at her over her shoulder, "Can I meld with you tonight? I don't want to dream alone."

Jules smiled, "If that's what you want."

…

Asari dreams were painfully realistic. Sometimes Liara's dreams took her to her own memories which she would relive in perfect detail the likes of which her conscious mind could not rival. Sometimes they took her to hypothetical scenarios which had never happened but were never far from being possible. The settings were always real places she had visited, the people ones she knew in real life and the laws of physics always seemed to apply. They were vivid and accurate but, more often than not, despairingly unimaginative.

In contrast, human dreams were bizarre and nonsensical; abstract in the way they could shift and morph with no warning, worlds phasing into one another, people appearing as strange caricatures of themselves, places so familiar in feeling and yet completely unrecognisable from their real world counterparts and yet somehow, to the dreamer, nothing would seem amiss.

The first time Liara had dreamed with Jules, she had found it disorienting to the point where she had broken the meld to escape the strange images and vowed never to try it again. But over the years, she'd come to enjoy the ridiculous and illogical worlds Jules' subconscious could conjure up; especially on nights when she knew her own dreams would only force her to relive something she didn't want to or confront someone she didn't walk to talk to.

That night, she knew she would have been plagued by Kyla, or if not her then the boy she had melded with. She didn't have the strength or the desire to face either so, as they nestled down to sleep, she folded herself completely into Jules' consciousness and let the human's strange dreams take her away from reality.

They flew over the mountains of Thessia at first, before it changed into Mindoir and they found themselves in Jules' childhood home. Tali was there, for some reason, and so was Garrus. At some point it became the Normandy and they competed in a race against Aria across the Terminus.

Liara's mind wasn't beyond influencing the dream and Kyla did make an appearance. But she was a wild, farcical version of herself who insulted everyone and annoyed the whole crew, eventually resulting in Tali throwing her out of the Normandy's airlock.

After that they ended up on Earth where they had sex on a beach – she didn't know which of their minds conjured that one up – and then single-handedly brought down the HTA with help from Mordin and some vague plan of his involving seashells.

By the time Liara woke, they had travelled across half the galaxy and seemed to have lived a whole lifetime. She drifted slowly back to consciousness, feeling the meld begin to slip away from her as she did. She didn't want to let it go, but holding a meld for so long did take a toll and she couldn't concentrate enough to stop it from fading.

Whispers of Jules' thoughts still lingered though and after a moment, she became aware of Jules' eyes opening, followed by a brief moment of confusion as she saw the stars above them through the window. Then she remembered where they were. _Then_ she remembered their conversation last night and she looked down to blink at Liara sleepily, followed by a tired smile.

"Hey," she mumbled.

"Hello," Liara replied.

"You're feeling better," Jules observed through the fading remnants of the meld, her turquoise eyes were gleaming blearily from sleep and Liara brushed the red hair back from her forehead to see them more clearly, "it's because Tali kicked Kyla out of that airlock, isn't it?"

Liara buried a smile against Jules' chest. What always amused her the most about sharing Jules' dreams was that _she_ remembered the dreams in perfect clarity, while Jules seemed to forget most of the details and could only ever recall flashes. She wondered idly what else Jules remembered about this particular dream and Jules must have picked up on it as she frowned for a moment.

"Did we have sex on a beach?"

Liara smiled, "Yes."

She seemed to think about it, "Hm. We've _never_ had sex on a beach."

"I'm sure we could rectify that one day, if you wanted?"

Jules made a face, "Urgh, no. Think of all the sand, it would get _everywhere._ "

Liara laughed, "Knowing our luck, the next time we're on a beach we'll probably be fighting bad guys anyway."

"Probably," Jules agreed. She shifted onto her side, sliding one arm around Liara's waist and shuffling in until their noses were touching. Jules gazed at her for a moment, then narrowed her eyes, "what do you want to do about Kyla? And don't say anything involving airlocks."

"Why should I do anything about her?" Liara asked. The look she got in return was answer enough but Jules was smart enough not to mention the word 'sisters'.

"Because you're in a squad together and you need to be able to work as a team."

"She's been the one causing all the problems," Liara replied, stubbornly.

"She was the only one who knew the truth."

"Yes. For months. Don't you wonder why she didn't say anything sooner?"

"You're not seriously suggesting she has some kind of ulterior motive in all this?" Jules looked at her sceptically and Liara knew how unlikely it sounded. She didn't really believe it either, but it would have been nice to paint Kyla as a typical bad guy. They were good at dealing with bad guys.

"She probably just wanted to get to know you first," Jules said, tracing the outline of Liara's jaw absently, "can't be easy to walk up to a total stranger and say, 'hey, I'm you're long lost…" Liara narrowed her eyes sharply, "father's daughter'," Jules finished with a sigh, "and let's face it, you're not the easiest person to get to know."

Liara made to protest but Jules stopped her with a you-know-I'm-right look, so Liara just scowled instead, "Whose side are you on?"

"Yours. Always. But Kyla's a part of my crew and I have to be on her side to," Liara reacted swiftly, snatching Jules' hand from her waist and flipping promptly onto her other side, "don't turn ov-" Jules began too late and cut herself off with a dramatic sigh.

Liara – now facing the window – scowled out at the void of stars falling away before her. There was a moment of silence before Jules shuffled up behind her and hooked her chin over Liara's shoulder.

"Look," she muttered, "you can be as childish and as moody as you like when it's just the two of us, but you know you can't avoid this. You need to talk to her."

"She's not my sister, Jules," Liara retorted, "I don't understand why she should mean any more to me than the rest of the squad," she knew she was being deliberately obtuse. She even hated herself for it, but she didn't know what else to say.

She could see Jules' reflection in the glass as she pondered how best to respond. She could feel the brief, familiar echoes of her thoughts but the meld had grown too weak to interpret them, "She knew Aethyta better than you ever got to," she began slowly, "she's centuries older than you, she'll have been around when Aethyta and Benezia were married. I know you have questions about what happened between them. Even if she doesn't know the answers… it's something you both have in common."

Liara waited. She thought about it. She considered admitting to her curiosity about Kyla and Aethyta. But even as she was thinking it, she found herself shaking off Jules' contact and shuffling closer to the window, "I'm _not_ talking to her," she heard herself declare. It was a bit late to go back on it after that.

She felt Jules' forehead bump against her shoulder blade as the human finally gave up, "Fine," she conceded before rolling onto her back. Several unsettling minutes of silence ensued before Liara felt Jules' knuckles brush absently against the small of her back, "I need to go and catch up with the crew, figure out what we're going to do next."

Liara nodded silently.

She felt Jules shift closer to her again and a kiss was pressed to the corner of her jaw, "You going to be alright?"

"Yes," Liara stated. She didn't feel like she could really say anything else.

"Okay," Jules sighed, but as she made to stand up, Liara reached back to catch her hand and turned to look at her.

"I'm not angry at _you_."

Jules smiled softly, "I know."

…

Jules jumped in the shower, dressed and left the cabin while Liara was still in bed. It felt wrong leaving things like that but she clearly wasn't willing to talk about it yet and Jules had yet to beat her when it came to stubbornness.

Once she calmed down she might realise she liked the idea of having a sister. It had been so long since either of them had any family to speak of besides each other. Even she and Liara couldn't be _everything_ to each other _all_ of time.

The ship was quiet as she moved through it. The rest of the squad were probably still in bed, she'd told them they were all off duty for now which had always been code for 'have a lie-in' back in the Alliance. She made her way to the cockpit and found Ereba with her feet kicked up on console and an open pack of rations in her lap as she scrolled through a datapad. Jules assumed she was looking at the sensor data they were collecting from the system, as she got closer she saw it was actually an asari romance novel.

"Do you ever leave this cockpit?" she asked playfully as she entered.

Ereba didn't even bother to look up from the datapad as she shrugged and replied: "Sometimes."

"You are allowed to take _proper_ breaks, you know?" Jules added, nodding to the novel, "You can even eat in the mess, if you really want."

"I prefer it in here. No one bothers you." she paused and looked up, "Present company accepted."

Jules smiled and shook her head, "You sound like Liara. On the original Normandy she used to eat all her meals in the cupboard at the back of the med bay. She only ever came out for missions or to talk about the protheans."

Ereba tossed the datapad aside and swivelled her chair round, "I'm guessing you want a report?"

Jules folded her arms and leaned against the doorframe, "Go for it."

"Well, we've been gathering data from across the whole system and most of the ships we've detected seem to belong to merc groups. There are several operating here though all they do is fight with each other. We've also tracked several more freighters loaded up with eezo. They were all going from Thessia – or the sensor dead zone we're assuming is Thessia – to a small outpost in the Vernio System."

"That's one of the systems Aria was sent to?"

"Yes. They deliver the eezo to one of the moons around Tritogenith and then come back again."

Jules frowned, "I wonder who they're shipping it to. They're definitely not selling it to Cadeyrn or anyone else on Piares."

"I wonder who _they_ are," Ereba added, "no communications go to or from the freighters and we still haven't been able to scan Thessia. Makes you wonder what the big secret is."

Jules gazed out at the stars for a moment, "Rhys said the tech guys had managed to decrypt the files from Cadeyrn's freighter?"

"Yes, but don't get too excited. It was all coordinates for landing zones, presumably on Thessia."

"The places he steals his art from," Jules sighed, "not much help."

"There is one more thing," a worrying smile formed on Ereba's lips as she turned back to her console and brought something up on the screen, "we intercepted this from Piares while you were asleep," Jules leaned forwards and found herself staring at an image of herself, taken from when she was in the arena with Samara, "it's a bounty notice," Ereba said, "Cadeyrn's put a price on your head."

"Not surprising," Jules shrugged, "not my best side though," she added, squinting critically at the picture. It was incredibly unflattering and showed her halfway through a particularly ugly grimace as she aimed a punch at Samara's jaw. As she read the notice, she saw the justicar was part of the bounty too.

"What about the station we escaped from, do you know if they managed to evacuate it?"

"I saw a few repair crews arriving, I think they brought a new power core with them. Life signs on board are still strong."

"Good," Jules muttered, thinking of the shae trapped in their glass tank. Being snatched from their home was bad enough but freezing to death in an unpowered space station was a fate no creature deserved, "how did Samara and Falere settle in?"

Ereba paused, "Alright… I think. I gave Falere the last empty cabin and Samara took the side room down from the mess. She said she didn't want a bed."

"I can believe that," Jules mused.

"I'd never met a justicar before," Ereba continued.

"Was she what you expected?"

She shrugged, "I spoke more to Falere than Samara. What… do you know about her?"

"Falere?" Jules kept her expression casual, "I only met her once, during the war. Why?"

"No reason. Not really. There's just… something about her. I can't put my finger on it."

Jules watched the asari for a moment, trying to think of the best response to avoid any suspicion. She didn't for one minute think Falere was a threat to the crew but she also didn't believe that knowing the truth about her would be in their best interests.

"Keep the ship cloaked," she stated, deciding to avoid the topic altogether, "I'll be in the mess if you need me."

"Actually," Ereba stopped her as she turned to leave, "Tevos called. She wanted an update from you as soon as you were awake."

"Really?" Jules asked innocently, "Good thing she doesn't know I'm awake then, isn't it?"


	29. Sisters

_Chapter Twenty-nine – Sisters_

Jules wandered slowly back towards the mess, wondering what array of tasteless rations were on offer for breakfast. She also wondered whether Liara was out of bed yet, and whether she would want to do anything about Kyla. Probably not. Liara was stubborn like that, a trait she suspected Kyla shared. Must have something to do with being one quarter krogan, she mused with a smirk.

Actually she saw a lot of similarities between Liara and Kyla now she thought about it. Ones she should probably keep to herself for now, or risk getting her head bitten off by both of them.

She was pulled from her idle thoughts by the sound of raised voices – or rather, _one_ raised voice – as she neared the mess. She slowed, frowning as she edged her way around the curve of the corridor until she could see through the open doorway. She stopped when she saw Falere and Samara standing opposite each other in the otherwise empty room.

Samara was her usual calm and stoic self but Falere seemed to be in the middle of an angry rant, with both hands on her hips and a fierce glare across her brow.

"Don't lecture me on morality, mother!" she was shouting, "You're the one who's been fighting for Cadeyrn all these years! You've actually _killed_ people for him!"

Samara blinked in the face of her daughter's wrath and calmly clasped her hands behind her back, "He threatened to hurt you if I did not."

"Oh so it's _my_ fault?"

"I did _not_ say that," Samara replied patiently but Jules could tell she was bristling slightly beneath her disciplined façade, "I am merely trying to explain that I had little choice."

"You had plenty of choice," Falere took a decisive step forward, bringing her nose-to-nose with her mother, "he put you at the heart of his operation, you could have torn it down whenever you wanted but you didn't. You put _my_ welfare ahead of _everyone_ else on Piares, did you even stop to think how that would make _me_ feel?"

Samara tilted her head, blatantly confused, "I could not allow you to be harmed."

"Why?" Falere snapped, throwing up her arms as sudden genuine rage flared up behind her eyes, "You were happy enough to abandon Rila to the reapers!"

Jules watched the flicker of realisation on Falere's face that she had overstepped the line, but to her credit she didn't back down, holding her mother's gaze cold and fast. Samara's expression remained almost completely impassive, only someone who knew her well could have spotted the way her mouth hardened into a thin line and her eyes twitched just slightly.

After a moment of silence, the justicar spoke, "We will speak further once you have calmed down," she stated before turning on her heel and leaving. She didn't seem to notice Jules as she headed the opposite way down the corridor, leaving Falere alone in the mess.

Jules hesitated, briefly torn. She was tempted to go after Samara but she wasn't sure she would be thanked for interfering. She was even more tempted not to get involved at all, but she could do with some breakfast and, frankly, Falere was between her and food.

She sighed and wondered how she used to have the patience for all the crew dramas she had dealt with on the Normandy.

Falere had moved over to the window and was staring out glumly at the stars. She didn't seem to hear Jules enter but neither did she seem surprised when she spoke.

"Problems?" Jules asked. When the asari turned to look at her, Jules offered her a sympathetic smile. Falere returned it without much enthusiasm before wrapping her arms around herself and turning back to the window.

"No more than usual."

It was an answer that hid more than it gave away, Jules noted as she moved to stand beside her, "Not a happy reunion then?"

Falere offered her a small shrug, "I don't mean to seem ungrateful, but it's hard to be pleased about your mother murdering innocents in some arena when she could have been helping them."

"I doubt many of them were innocent," Jules reasoned, "but yeah, it surprised me too."

Silence ensued and Falere continued to stare out at the stars. Jules became aware of a slight tingle across her skin and a vague hum in her ears. It was an oddly soporific sensation that seemed to be lulling her into a state of calm; not like she was drunk or drugged or anything, just more relaxed than she would normally be. She realised she recognised the feeling from the night she had met Morinth. The same smell lingered in the air too like sweet perfume.

The realisation brought a sudden spike of panic and she took a hurried step away, trying to make it look casual as she felt sweat prickle on her brow. The reaction had been instinctive and she instantly felt ridiculous for it. The aura radiating from Falere was muted and barely noticeable compared to Morinth, it was obvious she wasn't deliberately using her powers to try and enthral her like her sister had. She must have had this effect on everyone, perhaps she had no control over it.

Still, it was unsettling. Though if she hadn't had such a bad experience with a murderous ardat-yakshi in the past she would probably be finding Falere's company quite enchanting right now. The more she considered it, the more she realised how cruel that was. People must have been drawn to Falere all the time, captivated by her beauty and her grace and the magic that seemed to follow her in the air. It could easily have been mistaken for love. And Falere had to deny herself all of it to avoid becoming a monster.

Jules remembered Morinth as having a perverse sort of attraction, she was sensual and sordid in a way that could drag dark and forbidden fantasies from the depths of your daydreams. But Falere was different, there was a dignity and an intelligence about her, Jules wondered how many hearts had been broken over her since she had left the asari monastery.

She turned and viewed the asari in a new light and felt herself relax again, "If it's any consolation," she said softly, "she _really_ cares about you. I didn't think I'd ever see a day when Samara put one person above the greater good."

"She's my mother, she's supposed to care about me. You can't expect me to thank her for it… sorry," she added as she caught sight of Jules' expression.

Jules cleared her throat, "I… take it you and Samara aren't close?"

She smiled grimly, "I don't feel like I know her, really. I was barely in adolescence when she left us in that monastery. We saw her twice in four centuries; one of those times was only because she was returning an ardat-yakshi who had escaped."

Jules frowned. In some ways Samara had always been a bit of an enigma to her. It was possible to know someone's personality without actually knowing much about their past, or the person they were before you knew them. That was how she felt towards Samara and sometimes hearing about the person she was before Jules knew her, was like hearing about a stranger.

"Did she really not keep in touch with you? At all?"

"Letters, now and then. But she wasn't there to see us become adults, by the time she found me after the war, we hardly knew each other."

"But you've been together for the past two hundred years."

"Fighting causes," Falere agreed, "we make a good team when we have a mission to complete, but how much of that time do you really think was spent talking?"

Jules opened her mouth but found nothing helpful to say.

"Can I… ask you something?" the asari said, tentatively. Jules felt herself smile, in the old days she had always been the one probing people with questions. Now it seemed like everyone else wanted to grill her instead.

"Sure. Go ahead."

"You were there when my sister died, weren't you?"

For a moment, Jules blinked at her, wondering if she was talking about Rila. Then she realised she wasn't.

"You mean Morinth?"

Falere looked round, surprised, "Is that what she was calling herself?" she smiled almost nostalgically but there was a bitterness to it, "That was our old childhood nickname for her."

Jules watched her carefully, "Didn't Samara tell you?"

She shook her head, "Mother never talks about her. She did tell me that you were there though, that you let Morinth enthral you."

Jules grimaced under the memory of Morinth's smell, her smile, her laugh, the tickle of her mind as she tried to weave her way into Jules' thoughts. It had never faded, she remembered it all in perfect clarity and Falere's presence only made it come through all the clearer.

"She didn't actually manage to enthral me," she said, trying to shake the feelings from her mind, "though it was a near thing. Samara once told me how strong willed I must have been to resist her; I don't think she realised how close I came to…" she felt a shiver run across her shoulders and shook it off, "anyway, what did you want to know?"

"I'm… not sure. Was it… quick?"

"Yes. And clean. Your mother made sure of that."

Falere nodded slowly, "Better than she deserved, I suppose," she didn't sound like she meant it as she said it and Jules turned to consider her quietly. Falere must have felt the scrutiny as she cleared her throat and added: "I know she was a monster, and the things she did were unforgivable. But she was my sister."

Jules waited. She got the impression there was more to be said but Falere seemed to want to be pushed for it. She looked past the asari towards the kitchen where her breakfast was waiting in vacuum packed bags. She could just smile politely and walk away, avoid getting involved. In the old days that wouldn't even have occurred to her; now it was sorely tempting.

But instead she sighed inwardly and pushed her hunger to the back of her mind, "What was she like?"

Falere gave a nostalgic laugh, "Rebellious, wild, insolent, fun. She used to take me on adventures, we'd sneak out in the middle of the night and go exploring deep into the forest. Or we'd head into the town and sneak into places we weren't old enough for."

"You were a rebel too then?"

"Only when I was with her. I was quite timid really, shy. Morinth made me feel strong and confident. She used to stand up for me in school, made sure none of the bullies ever went near me."

"You were close, then?"

"Yes. She and Rila hated each other though. Rila had mother's discipline, she was never in trouble and always disapproved of Morinth, especially when she was 'corrupting' me. When we got our diagnosis, I knew Morinth would never play along, but I kidded myself she wouldn't become a killer," she went quiet for a moment, then looked up guiltily, like she wasn't sure she should admit to the next part, "she used to write to me. In the monastery."

Jules frowned, "Was that allowed?"

"No. If Rila had ever found out she'd have gone mad. She used to tell me all about the places she'd been and the wonders she'd seen. She left out the murders she'd committed along the way. Then one day she turned up in my room, asked me to run away with her."

Jules stared, "What did you do?"

She shrugged, "I was tempted. But I knew what she was by then. I loved the part of her that was my sister but the other part of her?" she shook her head, "I didn't want to see that. So I told her to go."

"You didn't tell anyone? Raise the alarm?"

Falere looked at her, "She would have killed them."

"So you let her go. Knowing she was going to keep killing."

A small frown formed on Falere's brow, "She was my sister," she stated again.

"Yes," Jules agreed, "I'm not judging you, Falere. I'm just making a comparison. You made a decision that you knew could lead to people suffering because you were trying to protect someone you loved," she raised her eyebrows, "do you see the point I'm making?"

A small smile twitched begrudgingly on Falere's lips, "Goddess," she muttered, "mother was right about you."

Jules decided not to ask what Samara had said about her, "It wasn't your fault Morinth killed people. Just like it's not Samara's fault that Cadeyrn enjoys throwing people in his arena for sport. Though I won't pretend I wasn't angry with her too."

"But not now?"

Jules shrugged, "She's my friend. Friends are rarely perfect but it's not worth losing them over. And that's from someone who's lost a lot of friends over the years."

Falere offered her a half-smile, "I'll take your word for it. Friends aren't something I've had a lot of experience of."

The sound of muttering drew their attention along with footsteps in the corridor outside. They turned and waited until Ereba appeared through the doorway, deep in conversation with herself as she frowned down at a datapad.

She was midsentence when she looked up and spotted them, "Oh," she said, slightly surprised, "hello," she beamed at them awkwardly for a moment, then looked at Jules, "I was just about to call you, Tevos called again, didn't believe you could still be asleep. I've patched her and Aria through to the comm room."

Jules folded her arms, "I don't remember telling you to do that."

"You may be my commander, but Tevos is still my boss," she said with an apologetic shrug.

Jules sighed, "Fine," she turned to Falere, "I'll speak to you later, in the meantime," she gestured widely to Ereba, "maybe you can make a friend," she smiled at them both and headed for the door, leaving the two asari staring at each other uncertainly.

…

Samara walked the corridors of the _Janiri_ somewhat aimlessly. It was a curious ship, close enough to old asari designs to be familiar and yet it was very obviously built in a different era to ships from before the war.

She paused by a small, porthole window and gazed out at the stars. They were as silent and constant as ever, a pleasant reminder of how small she and her problems were in the grand scheme of things.

She considered Falere; her youngest daughter's fiery streak had often been a cause of conflict between them, even when she was a child. She had never had Morinth's open aggression but she was defiant in her own way and never willing to back down from her beliefs.

Quite right too, she mused and saw the thin trace of her own smile in the dark reflection of the window.

She saw the same quality in Shepard and – just like with Falere – it had caused disagreements between them in the past. Still, she couldn't think of anyone she would have been more grateful to see in Cadeyrn's arena.

She moved on from the window, contemplating the next course of action. War was brewing between Cadeyrn and Eisheth and – bizarre as it may have sounded – it was crucial that Cadeyrn won. His rule was far from perfect, but Eisheth would turn the city into her personal playground of horrors if given the chance.

She doubted Shepard was finished with Cadeyrn yet. It would be interesting to see how the situation played out now that she was involved.

She heard someone approaching from down the corridor. Footsteps swift and purposeful, breathing steady and measured, arms swinging by the sides in rhythm.

"Liara," she stated before turning to see she was correct. The younger asari was striding towards her, sapphire eyes glittering and a professionally stoic expression on her face.

"Samara," she replied curtly as she stopped in front of her, "how are you?"

"Well. Thank you."

"Good," she folded her arms and shifted her weight onto one leg. It was a subconsciously defensive stance that Samara found unsurprising. She had been aware of Liara's wariness of her since their very first meeting, back before the war. It wasn't unusual for asari to mistrust justicars, though she suspected Liara's feelings may have stemmed from her fierce loyalty to Shepard. Samara _had_ used her as bait to catch Morinth, an action Liara seemed to have taken personally even before she and the human were lovers.

Her attitude didn't offend Samara. On the contrary, she was glad Shepard had such devotion in her life.

"I've been looking for you," Liara said, "I want to talk to you about Cadeyrn."

"Of course," Samara agreed, ignoring the simmering barrier of hostility Liara was projecting between them.

"His ships manage to get past Thessia's satellite grid. Jules wants to know how he does it, I was wondering if you had any insights?"

Samara looked down thoughtfully, then turned and gestured for Liara to walk with her, "Regrettably not," she said as they began to move slowly down the corridor. The ambling pace Samara kept seemed to irritate Liara slightly, but she ignored the girl's discomfort, "Cadeyrn offered me few details of his operations. I tried to extract information from his people, but many of them were as ill-informed as I. He keeps his secrets closely guarded, even from his own staff."

Liara frowned, "What might loosen his tongue? Everyone has a weakness, or a price," Samara regarded her quietly, it seemed that the Shadow Broker in her was not completely dormant.

"He cares only for wealth and influence and he has numerous ways of getting both. I can think of nothing you could offer him. However, if he were in danger of having his power snatched from him and you were to aid him… he always rewards those he is indebted to. It is one of his few virtues."

Liara's eyes narrowed suspiciously, "I sense you have an idea, justicar."

"I assume you noticed the unrest in the city?"

"Between Cadeyrn's people and another gang," Liara agreed, "you think things are about to escalate?"

"Imminently. If you side with Cadeyrn, you may earn his favour and save Piares from a far worse ruler."

Liara stopped and her aggressive façade slipped for a second as she sighed and rubbed at her eyes, "Getting pulled into a gang war. Jules is going to _love_ this. Is there _any_ other way?"

Samara considered, "You could storm his base again, steal his secrets, tear down his operation and leave the city to the mercy of Eisheth. Knowing Shepard as I do, I doubt she will consider this a viable alternative."

Liara stopped dead and stared at her. It was hard to read what was glimmering behind those gem-like eyes so she waited for the girl to speak, "What if the Shepard you knew has changed?" she said carefully after a while.

"I don't doubt she has," Samara replied, "but at her core, her values and principles are still the same, wouldn't you agree?"

Liara continued to gaze at her quietly, "We could use your help in the computer room, we're trying to piece together everything we know about Cadeyrn."

Samara inclined her head and followed Liara down the corridor.

…

Jules had not rushed to her summons to the comm room. Instead she had picked out a suitably bland nutrient bar for her breakfast and eaten it while meandering her way through the ship corridors. When she eventually arrived, she found the flickering, holographic images of Tevos and Aria waiting for her. Aria was lounging back in an armchair somewhere – presumably on her own ship – looking fed up and bored in equal measure, while Tevos was standing with her arms folded. As Jules could have predicted, they were in the middle of an argument.

"I want it done _discreetly,_ Aria!" Tevos was saying emphatically.

Aria just snorted, "Careful, it almost sounds like you don't trust me," she smiled, the gentle melody of her voice almost hiding the cold threat it was laced with.

Tevos' eyes narrowed, "I swear, Aria, if you compromise this mission playing one of your stupid power games-!"

"Games?" Aria interjected softly, "The HTA destroys Omega, kills my people and leaves me stuck with you and you think I'm going to waste my time playing games?"

"Whatever you're planning-!"

"Oh stop with the threats, Tevos, it doesn't suit you. And for the record I'm not planning anything; thanks to the HTA I'm nothing more than your willing servant, remember?"

Tevos glowered, "You're also a born liar."

Jules had to hide a smile as she cleared her throat in an attempt to alert them to her presence. As they turned to look at her, she offered them a grin, "Didn't anyone ever tell you two it's not good to argue in front of the children?" she said pleasantly.

Aria smirked, "Is that how you see yourself, Shepard?"

"No. I just assumed that's how you saw me."

"Shepard," Tevos interrupted, "we've been- are you eating?" she asked as Jules crammed the last of the nutrient bar into her mouth.

"I'm hungry," she mumbled through chews, then made a point of swallowing and tossing the wrapper aside, "I had a very long day yesterday."

"Yes. Ereba filled us in. Good work, I didn't expect so much progress so quickly."

Aria snorted, "Forgot who you hired, did you?"

Tevos cast her a cold glance but otherwise ignored her, "Ereba says the eezo from Thessia is being shipped to a moon. Aria is going to investigate it."

"Discreetly," Aria added, throwing Tevos a fake smile.

Jules looked between them and wondered – not for the first time – if they were both hiding something from her, "You have any theories about what's going on here?" she asked.

Tevos shook her head, "These rumours you're hearing of a Thessian Order are… troubling."

"Troubling? Why?"

"Oh c'mon, Shepard," Aria rolled her eyes, "the name alone is creepy enough, even if they didn't have a network of stealth satellites around Thessia."

"It's certainly not what I was expecting to find," Tevos agreed, "what do you plan to do next, Shepard?"

"The crime lord who captured me has technology that gets him past those satellites, I'm going to get it off him."

Tevos nodded, "Good. But we should try to find out as much about this Thessian Order as we can before we go to Thessia itself."

"Agreed," Jules said, then frowned as she realised something was missing, "where's Grunt?" she asked.

Tevos and Aria exchanged a glance and Tevos cleared her throat, "He… hasn't been in contact yet."

Jules blinked, "Meaning?"

"He isn't returning her calls," Aria said with a smirk.

Tevos shot her a glare, "He does seem to have fallen out of contact for the moment. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

"How sure?" Jules pressed, folding her arms. On the one hand, it would be typical of Grunt to ignore requests for a report before he was good and ready to give one. On the other…

"Why not ask that love-struck wife of his to call him," Aria drawled lazily, "he'll probably pick up the comm for her," there was a deriding edge to her cold smile that Jules didn't like but she ignored it. Arguing with Aria was often a pointless exercise.

"If we don't hear in from him soon, we'll investigate," Tevos decided, "for now you both have your tasks, we'll speak again soon."

The image of Tevos abruptly dissipated. Aria's lingered just long enough to cast Jules a devious smile before the call shut off and Jules was left alone. She sighed and wandered out of the room.

Working with Aria and Tevos brought back unsettling memories of working with Cerberus during the hunt for the Collectors. That prickling paranoia that everyone on the ship knew something she didn't, forever wondering if the Illusive Man was telling her everything or if she was just a pawn in some game she didn't even know was being played.

It didn't help that Tevos and Aria seemed to be as suspicious of each other as Jules was of both of them. Grunt was the only one she was sure she could trust and the fact he seemed to have disappeared wasn't doing much to alleviate her concerns.

She should really go and find Liara. She had no doubt the asari would be at work by now. But something held her back and instead she found herself wandering the corridors, trying to avoid the rest of the crew as she mulled over everything in her mind. Eventually she knew where she wanted to go.

…

Kyla lay on her bunk, staring at the ceiling. Despite being exhausted, she hadn't been able to sleep. She had spent most of the night teetering on the edge of consciousness, occasionally tipping over into unsettling dreams of her mother, Liara and even Benezia before their accusing faces chased her back to consciousness. Her last conversation with Liara was particularly raw and her dreams seemed determined to play it back for her in a continuous loop until being tired was preferable to being asleep.

Egret didn't seem to have the same problem. The kid had been asleep the second her head hit the pillow and hadn't moved since. Kyla listened the steady sound of her breathing and tried not to think about Liara.

She'd known this would happen. What else could she have expected from Benezia's daughter? It probably would have gone better if she hadn't just blurted it out like that, she supposed. Tact never had been her strong suit. Maybe she should have told her sooner.

But it wouldn't have changed anything. Liara was a snob. She was never going to accept Kyla as her sister. And Kyla didn't care. Why should she? It's not like she wanted some stuck up scientist with no sense of humour in her life.

"Ah, shit," she muttered as she realised she had thoroughly failed at the 'trying not to think about Liara' thing.

Egret's breathing was disrupted by a yawn and the bunk creaked as she stretched. Kyla glanced over and saw the younger asari rubbing her eyes. She took a moment to look around as she tried to figure out where she was, then her eyes fell on Kyla.

"Morning," she mumbled.

"Hmph," Kyla grunted, irritably.

"Fine. I won't ask how you slept."

"Not as well as you. You snore by the way."

Egret looked at her oddly, "No I don't."

It was true, she didn't. Kyla had just felt like saying it.

Egret sat up and flexed her shoulders, "What time is it?"

"Dunno. We're off duty anyway."

Egret frowned, "Are you alright?"

"Peachy," Kyla said flatly.

Egret looked tempted to press the matter but thankfully there was a knock at the door, "Come in!" Kyla barked before Egret could say anything. Her heart sank when it slid open to reveal Shepard.

…

Jules stepped into the tiny cabin and realised that the one she had been given was spacious and luxurious by comparison. Both Egret and Kyla were still in bed, Egret was staring at her in confusion while Kyla just gazed at her, half-interested before she sighed let her head fall back against the pillow.

"Shepard?" Egret queried.

Jules continued to watch Kyla for a moment, before she turned to the other asari with a smile, "Have you had any contact with Grunt?" she asked.

Egret blinked, momentarily thrown off guard before she answered, "Not since before we went down to Piares."

"Go to the comm room and call him, ask him why he hasn't reported in to Tevos."

"I can do that from-" Jules shot her a look, "comm room, right," she swung her legs out of the bed and pulled a hoodie on over her sleepwear before casting Kyla a final, questioning look and slipping out of the room.

Jules waited a moment, then moved to sit on Egret's bunk and leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees. The asari avoided her gaze, then finally looked her dead in the eye.

"I'm guessing she told you?" Kyla muttered.

"Did you think she wouldn't?"

"No. I bet little miss perfect tells you everything," she drawled dryly.

"Little miss perfect?" Jules chuckled, "She's far from that, trust me."

Kyla eyed her warily, then sniffed, "Come to tell me to back off?"

Jules frowned "She's your sister, why would I want you to back off?"

"Er…" Kyla made a point of thinking about it, "because she hates me, maybe?"

"Funny, she said the same thing about you," Kyla's face set into a stubborn glower that reminded Jules so much of Liara she had to stifle a chuckle, "I actually came to see if you're okay."

"Why?"

"You're a member of my crew," Jules answered simply, "it's a pretty exclusive club, you know."

"Yeah," Kyla muttered, "I hear most of the other members are dead."

Jules sighed, "You're going to make this difficult, aren't you?" Kyla didn't answer, "What have you got against Liara? Does she not live up to your expectations, or something?"

"Dunno. Do I live up to hers?"

Jules rubbed at the bridge of her nose. This wasn't getting her anywhere. She decided to try a different angle, "Aethyta never told Liara much about her life. But she did mention she'd had _daughters_ with a hanar. Liara isn't your only sister, is she?"

Kyla's face darkened, "She is now," she muttered.

"Ah," Jules nodded, "I'm sorry. Did she die recently?"

She gave a single shake of her head, "During the war. She was a commando."

"Like Aethyta's mother?" Jules asked.

"Oh yeah," Kyla snorted, "following in grandma's footsteps, Aethyta was thrilled," Jules would have had to be deaf and blind not to pick up on Kyla's sarcasm as she said it but she softened a little as she shrugged, "she got over it though, Aethyta wasn't one of those disapproving mothers with great aspirations for their daughters."

"I can imagine," Jules agreed. It was surprisingly easy to picture the moody old matriarch she'd known as a mother. Though the image she got was not a conventional one.

Kyla frowned at her oddly, "Why the hell am I telling you this?"

"Don't worry, it's the effect I have on everyone."

"Hmph. Must be annoying."

Jules grinned, "What was her name, your sister?"

Kyla eyed her and seemed to consider whether to answer or not, "Nell."

"Older?"

"Younger."

Jules nodded, "I had a little sister once. She died on Mindoir."

"You expecting us to bond over our dead relatives?" Kyla asked dryly.

"Had a brother too," she continued, ignoring the interruption, "we were polar opposites though, couldn't agree on anything."

"Let me guess," Kyla mused, "you loved him anyway and put your differences aside to become best friends," she talked like she was quoting from a lifestyle column and Jules shook her head.

"No. We couldn't stand each other, I'd have happily killed him myself most days. Until he was gone."

Kyla looked at her, "So what? You're telling me that if a long lost sibling suddenly appeared you'd welcome them with open arms? Regardless of who they were or how they treated you?"

Jules frowned at her. She refused to believe all this was because Liara wasn't the most social person in the galaxy. There was nothing she had done in the past few months that could have prompted the kind of bitterness Kyla was displaying right now.

"Okay, listen," she said, committing herself to one more try, "I will be the first person to tell you Liara's not perfect. She's stubborn, impatient and hates not getting her own way. She doesn't always bother to make time for people, her morals sometimes come down on the wrong side of ethical and she can probably hold a grudge longer than anyone. Not to mention _obsessive_ , she gets so lost in her own work that she forgets that there are people who actually want to spend time with her. And yes, sometimes she can be a snob."

Kyla blinked, "Shit. Why do you stay with her?"

"Because she's my best friend. And my family. And nothing she does annoys me. If anyone else did some of the things she does it would annoy me. But not her. I love her."

"Hmph," Kyla folded her arms, "that's very sweet and everything, but how does it help me?"

"Because all of that stuff I just mentioned, it's just the surface. It's what everyone else is allowed to see. But if you take the time to get to know her – and I won't pretend she's easy to get to know – but if you _really_ take the time, you'll find there's so much more underneath. Because the _real_ Liara is the warmest, funniest, kindest, loyalist friend you could ever hope for who would go to the end of the galaxy for you if you asked her to. Do you really want to pass up the opportunity to have her in your life?"

"Hey, she's the one who won't even talk to me!" Kyla snapped.

"You haven't exactly gone out of your way to be friendly either."

Kyla faltered for a moment, then sighed, "Yeah, well. Somehow, I don't think Liara is going to want to be friendly with _me_. Not when she finds out the truth."

Kyla was so obviously trying to goad Jules into asking that she almost didn't want to, but her curiosity was peaked so she frowned and said: "What truth?"

Kyla hesitated, chewing on the inside of her mouth as she caught Jules' eye. She watched her for a moment, as though gauging what her reaction would be.

"Does, er…" she began, then stopped, then sighed irritably, "does she ever wonder why Aethyta was never around when she was a kid? I mean, did Aethyta tell her anything?"

"Yeah. She said that she and Benezia had different political views."

"That's it?" Kyla blew out a sigh and shook her head, "She always had a crappy imagination, especially when it came to lying. Did Liara buy that?"

"Not really," Jules shrugged, "she didn't want to pry. They didn't know each other very well."

Kyla looked away guiltily. Guilt seemed an odd reaction for her to have and Jules frowned suspiciously, "Why _did_ they split up?"

Kyla gazed up at the ceiling, as though she could see her memories being played out up there. Jules settled back for what she imagined was a long story.

"I wasn't born to be one of life's overachievers, Shepard," she began glumly, "I'm not funny, or charming, hell most days I'm not even that nice. I'm not patient or thoughtful and I'm just smart enough to know I'm not that bright. I might win more fights than I lose but even that's more from stubbornness than skill. Honestly, everything I did, I was always average."

"That's not the word I'd use to describe you," Jules said, "and self-pity doesn't suit you, so I assume you're going somewhere with this?"

Kyla smirked, "Everything I wasn't, Nell was."

"You resented her?"

"What?" Kyla frowned, "No. I was happy being the way I was. I didn't want to be some prodigy, having decent grades and a high paid job never equalled success in my book. Aethyta didn't care about any of that either, she just wanted me to find some corner of the galaxy that made me happy. As soon as I was old enough I went out looking."

"And did you find it?"

She snorted, "I found Omega. A place you can be as mediocre as you want so long as you can shoot a gun and you're not too morally concerned about who you're aiming at."

"So you joined one of the gangs," Jules assumed, "what did you specialise in?"

"Drugs. Buying, selling… taking," there was something in the way she looked away as she said it that made Jules suspicious and she leaned forwards slightly.

"Were you an addict?"

Kyla rolled her eyes at the word, like she wanted to argue. But she didn't, "There was this new drug they'd synthesised that enhanced people's senses. Made them faster, smarter and stronger. It was also addictive and deadly if you took it for long enough. For a while everyone on Omega was taking it, it fucked them all up so badly that Aria banned it, destroyed the recipe and killed everyone who knew how to make it."

"Aria banned something?"

"Yeah, gives you an idea of how bad it was. It messed up the user's brain chemistry, caused all kinds of problems: coma, stroke, brain-damage, blindness, paranoia, I got off lightly all things considered," Jules frowned curiously and Kyla smiled, "my biotics weren't always this weak," she held up a hand and waggled her fingers as though to demonstrate. The faintest trace of biotic energy rippled across her palm before dissipating into nothingness.

"What's all this got to do with Liara?"

Kyla snorted, "She was about a day-and-a-half old when I called my mother. Aria had most of the gang killed for bringing that drug onto Omega. I was in hiding, in withdrawal from a drug that no longer existed and probably starving to death as well, come to think of it. Aethyta dropped everything and came to the other side of the galaxy to drag me out of the fire. Aria wanted me dead, Aethyta nearly killed her just to get me off the station. They came to some sort of agreement – I never found out the details – and she took me away to some backwater little planet where no one would judge or care."

Jules folded her arms and tried to imagine a fight between Aethyta and Aria, probably more entertaining than anything Cadeyrn's arena had ever seen, "Does Aria remember you?" she asked curiously.

Kyla shrugged, "Don't think so. If she does she hasn't said anything and I haven't exactly been shouting my mother's name from the rooftops, have I?"

Jules watched her quietly for a moment, "Was Aethyta angry with you? About the drugs?"

"No. She wasn't even disappointed. People make mistakes, that's what she said. I was just a kid."

Jules wasn't surprised, she remembered Aethyta as harsh, blunt and rough around the edges but not judgemental, "Why didn't she take you back to Thessia?"

"Benezia was famous, always in the spotlight; everyone would have known. Aethyta wasn't ashamed of me, she wasn't like that. She just didn't want me or Benezia having to deal with everyone else's opinions. Coming off the drugs was hard but it was nothing compared to the problems it left me with. I was in a coma for a while, then I had to learn to walk again. Then there were the nightmares, and the hallucinations, there were whole weeks I was delusional. Aethyta got me through all of it."

"How long did it take?"

"Years. I think we were three years in when Aethyta called Benezia and told her she wasn't coming back. They figured it wasn't fair on Liara for a stranger to turn up years after she was born and claim to be her father. They decided it would be easier when she was older so until then Aethyta stayed away. Because of me. By the time I could look after myself again, Benezia had gone off with Saren. Aethyta always thought that was her fault, for not being there."

Jules blinked for a moment, waiting for more, "That's it?" she questioned, "That's why you think Liara will hate you?"

Kyla scowled at her, "I robbed her of a father!"

Jules rolled her eyes, "Don't be so melodramatic. Do you really think Liara cared that her father wasn't around when she was growing up? Yeah she wondered who her father was and why Benezia never talked about her but it's not like she tortured herself over it. There were times she thought her father might be ashamed of having a pureblood child, but even that didn't really bother her."

Kyla glanced at her sceptically, "Really?"

Jules smiled, "Other people's opinions don't really matter to her."

"What about what happened to Benezia?"

"Benezia was indoctrinated, there's no guarantee Aethyta could have stopped that. It happened a long time ago, Liara's dealt with it."

Kyla snorted in an attempt to seem nonchalant, "She still doesn't like me. Apart from Aethyta we've got nothing in common."

"You're more alike than you realise," Jules told her, "trust me."

Kyla watched her for a moment, eyes narrowed. Liara pulled the same face when she was trying to figure out a counter argument. If you looked closely enough the similarities between them became frightening. So much so, Jules thought the scientists might have to revaluate their theories on the influence the father's DNA had on an asari child.

Eventually Kyla relented and opened her mouth.

Whatever she had been going to say, however, was abruptly cut off as a heavy impact shook the ship. Jules was thrown back into Egret's bunk and Kyla tumbled to the floor with a yelp. Another impact sent the ship lurching in the other direction and Jules hit the comm.

"Ereba! What's going on!" she demanded.

"Sorry, Shepard," an exasperated voice came back, "I took the stealth drive offline to recharge, I didn't think-"

" _Report_ , Ereba!" Jules reiterated.

"Three ships just opened fire. We're under attack."

* * *

 ** _Sorry for the delay in updates, I'm in the middle of moving house so you might have to bear with me for a while. I will get back on track eventually :)_**


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